DRAFT for review by a qualified Australian legal practitioner before use. Not legal advice.

Acceptable Use Policy (Community Rules)

Operating entity: Blue Collar News Services Pty Ltd (ABN [TBC]) ("we", "us", "our") Website: Services.BlueCollarNews.com.au (the "Platform") Version: 1.0 (draft) | Effective date: [TBC]

This Acceptable Use Policy governs content and conduct on the Platform, including reviews if and when a review feature is enabled. It should be read with our Terms of Use and Business Customer Agreement.

Launch recommendation: We recommend launching the Platform WITHOUT a consumer reviews feature initially. Reviews carry significant legal risk (defamation, misleading-conduct, and moderation obligations). This policy is drafted so it is ready if reviews are introduced later, and the review-specific clauses (3–5) only apply once reviews are enabled.

1. Application

1.1 This policy applies to all users, consumers and businesses, who post, submit or interact with content on the Platform.

1.2 By contributing content you agree to this policy. We may remove content and suspend accounts for breach.

2. General conduct rules

2.1 You must not post or transmit content that is:

2.2 You must not impersonate others, manipulate the Platform, scrape data, or interfere with its operation.

3. Reviews: honesty rules (only if reviews are enabled)

3.1 Reviews must be honest, first-hand accounts of your genuine experience with a business through the Platform.

3.2 You must not:

3.3 Fake reviews breach the law. Posting (or, for businesses, soliciting or publishing) fake or misleading reviews can be misleading or deceptive conduct under section 18 of the Australian Consumer Law and may expose you to regulatory action and liability. We take this seriously.

3.4 Reviews should be factual and based on genuine experience. Statements of opinion should be clearly identifiable as opinion and not assert false facts.

4. Notice-and-takedown / complaints process (only if reviews are enabled)

4.1 If you believe a review or other user content is false, defamatory, infringing or in breach of this policy, you may submit a complaint to [reviews@bluecollarnews.com.au, TBC] including: the URL/identifier of the content, the specific concern, and your basis for it.

4.2 We will acknowledge and assess complaints within a reasonable time. We may remove, suspend, or annotate content, request further information from the author, or decline to act, acting reasonably.

4.3 We may notify the content author of a complaint and give them an opportunity to respond, where appropriate.

5. Moderation rights and platform-as-host framing (only if reviews are enabled)

5.1 We are a host, not the author. Reviews and user content reflect the views of the user who posted them, not BCN. We do not adopt or endorse user content.

5.2 Moderation rights (not obligations). We may, but are not obliged to, monitor, moderate, edit, remove or refuse content. Exercising or not exercising these rights does not make us the author or publisher beyond what the law requires, and does not waive any defence available to a host of third-party content.

5.3 We will act on valid takedown complaints (clause 4) and remove content that clearly breaches this policy or the law.

6. Consequences of breach

6.1 We may remove content, issue warnings, suspend or terminate accounts, and report unlawful conduct to authorities.

7. Changes and contact

7.1 We may update this policy; the current version is on the Platform with its effective date. Questions or complaints: [legal@bluecollarnews.com.au, TBC].

End of Acceptable Use Policy (draft).