Community rules

Disagree freely. Treat people safely.

These rules are about conduct, not opinions. Nothing is removed for the political view it expresses.

What can be reported and acted on

Threats or harassment of any person.
Publishing someone's personal details.
An account that appears to belong to someone under 18.
Illegal or age-restricted material.
Spam or commercial posting.
Impersonating a person or organisation.

You can also report a comment as misinformation. We record it, but disagreement or inaccuracy alone is never a reason to remove a comment or restrict an account unless one of the rules above is also broken.

How reports are handled

Reports are private. The person you report never learns who reported them, and reporters are never named anywhere. Every report is acknowledged immediately and you can track it from your dashboard. A person reviews it: reports about threats, personal details, under-18 accounts or illegal material are treated as urgent and reviewed within 24 hours; others within 5 business days. These are our own targets, not legal deadlines. A report of an under-18 account is not treated as proof of age.

What can happen, and appeals

A comment can be hidden or removed. An account can be made read-only (it can read and report but not vote, comment or react) or suspended (it can only change settings, withdraw and appeal). Restrictions apply to every device and session. You are told in your dashboard which rule applied, and you can appeal once per decision within 30 days. Appeals are decided by the safety lead with a recorded reason. An upheld appeal restores the comment and lifts the restriction. If a decision changes on appeal, the reporter is told.

Urgent help and contact

If you cannot sign in, or your account is restricted, you can still reach us at info@australianpoll.com.au. Serious online harm can also be reported to the eSafety Commissioner at esafety.gov.au/report. In an emergency call 000.