Terms, conditions & privacy policy

Wow! Well done on even finding this page! We had to include this page because our lawyers made us do it. But, as we are a writers’ centre, we believe that messages – even those from lawyers – need to be clear and understandable. So we took the legalese the lawyers wrote and translated it into readable English. So it’s a pretty good idea to read what’s on this page.

The purpose of the site
We run this site so that people like you can use it for personal entertainment, information, education and communication. So go ahead and browse around all you like. You can even download stuff from the site but only for non-commercial, personal use. If you do, though, please don’t fool around with the copyright and other notices. They’re there for a really good reason. And please don’t think about distributing, modifying, transmitting, reusing, re-posting, or anything else uncool with any of the stuff, including the text, images, audio, and video, for public or commercial purposes unless we give you written permission.

If you visit our site, you’re also legally obligated to the terms and conditions listed below and any other law or regulation that applies to the site, the internet, the World Wide Web, or Australia. You shouldn’t access or browse the site if you have any problem with that, because once you start, there’s no turning back – you are bound by the terms and conditions.

Top 10 rules for visitors to our site:

1. Assume that everything on the site is copyrighted unless we say it’s not. So you can’t use the material except how we say you can on this page or anywhere else on the site without our written permission.

2. We try to include accurate stuff on the site, but sometimes things change. While we will certainly try our hardest to ensure that information is up to date and accurate, we assume no liability or responsibility for errors or omissions on the site.

3. We and anybody else who helped us create, produce, or deliver the site are not liable for any damages you suffer when you use it. In particular, the lawyers want you to know that our disclaimer includes “direct, incidental, consequential, indirect, or punitive damages arising out of your access to, or use of, the site. Without limiting the foregoing, everything on the site is provided to you without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non infringement. Please note that some jurisdictions may not allow the exclusion of implied warranties, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you. Check your local laws for any restrictions or limitations regarding the exclusion of implied warranties.”

Ugh! What a mouthful from the mouthpieces. We put all of that in quotes because we couldn’t figure out any other way to say it that the lawyers would accept. But it really means that we’re not responsible if you’re browsing around and the site damages you or your computer or infects it with any nasty viruses. We sure hope that doesn't happen – in fact, it’s extremely unlikely that it’s going to happen.

4. If you don’t want the world to know personal information, don’t post anywhere. Including on the site in any comments areas, members-only areas or anywhere else, particularly our blog. If you post information in password-protected membership areas, please understand that anyone who has access to that membership area can read what you’ve posted. We are not responsible for what they might do with that information. The key here is: don’t post information you don’t want other people to know.

5. Don't steal our images. Pictures of people or places shown on the site are either our property or someone else’s property and we’re using it with their permission. You can’t use it unless we’ve given you specific written permission.

6. Don't steal anything else. There are also a lot of trademarks, logos, and service marks on the site that either we own or we’re using with someone else’s permission. So please understand you don’t have any kind of license or right to use them.

7. We can't control the sites we link to. You’ll probably notice we’ve linked our site to lots of others. While we try to always link to useful and relevant material, we are not always aware if external sites change their content. So if you also choose to link to those sites, please remember that you’re doing so at your own risk.

8. We can and will cooperate with legal requests. That brings us to what you do on our own site. If you participate in the comments or a membership area, please don’t post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, libellous, defamatory, obscene, scandalous, inflammatory, pornographic, nasty, mean, or profane material or any material that law enforcement types may consider a criminal offence, get someone in court on a civil lawsuit, or for that matter violate any law – anywhere, any time. While we certainly respect your privacy, we have no choice but to fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court which might ask us who might have posted inappropriate material on our site.

While we sometimes listen in on forums, or look at the postings, we take no responsibility and assume no liability for the content of those locations or for any mistakes, defamation, libel, slander, omissions, falsehoods, obscenity, pornography, or profanity you might encounter when you visit such places on our site.

9. We’re also allowed to change this page and anything else on the site any time we want to. If the terms on this page change, you’re bound by those changes, too, whenever you visit our site.

10. These terms of are governed by the laws of Australia, without regard to principles of conflict of laws.

To the extent you have in any manner violated or threatened to violate WritersCentre.com.au and/or its affiliates' intellectual property rights, WritersCentre.com.au and/or its affiliates may seek injunctive or other appropriate relief in any state or federal court in Australia, and you consent to exclusive jurisdiction and venue in such courts.

Any other disputes will be resolved as follows:
If a dispute arises under this agreement, we agree to first try to resolve it with the help of a mutually agreed-upon mediator in the following location: Australia. Any costs and fees other than legal fees associated with the mediation will be shared equally by each of us.

If it proves impossible to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution through mediation, we agree to submit the dispute to binding arbitration at the following location: Australia. Judgment upon the award rendered by the arbitration may be entered in any court in Australia with jurisdiction to do so.