CPA Australia Member Connect Terms and Conditions
Last updated 17 July 2024
Thank you for joining the CPA Australia Member Connect (Platform), CPA Australia’s global online member community. This is a great medium with which to engage with your peers, benefit from their experience, and participate in an ongoing conversation.
For any member or service-related matters please follow the standard process by contacting CPA Australia on P: 1300 73 73 73 (within Australia) or P: +61 3 9606 9677 (outside of Australia).
Any and all of the views and / or opinions expressed on the Platform represent the thoughts of individuals. They do not reflect the views and / or opinions of CPA Australia or any of its affiliated entities (including any directors, officers, employees, agents and/or contractors).
To ensure the best possible experience for all users of the Platform, we have established some basic standards for participation as set out in these terms and conditions (Terms).
PURPOSE
The purpose of these Terms set out the rules which govern the use of the Platform between participants and CPA Australia Ltd (referred to as ‘we’ or ‘CPA Australia’) to help ensure all participants have the best possible experience in using the Platform.
Prior to joining the Platform, please ensure you have read and understood these Terms.
By joining and using the Platform, you agree that you will comply with these Terms.
THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS
- General etiquette
- Respect others. Focus on the content of posts and not on the people making them. Please extend the benefit of the doubt to guests and members; each participant is entitled to express their own opinion and view without critical judgement.
- Respect the purpose of the Platform. Use the Platform to share successes, challenges, constructive feedback, questions, and goals instead of products or services that you provide. If you’ve found a product or service helpful, please share your experience with the Platform in a respectful way.
- Duplicate posts, off-topic and redundant comments will be removed (this includes promotion of events, groups, pages, websites, organisations and programs not related to or affiliated with CPA Australia).
- Use caution when discussing products. Information posted on the discussion groups and in the libraries is available for all to see, and comments are subject to applicable laws, including defamation and competition laws.
- All defamatory, derogatory, discriminatory, abusive, profane, threatening, politically sensitive, offensive, or illegal materials are strictly prohibited. Do not post anything that you would not want the world to see or that you would not want anyone to know came from you. Do not post abusive comments about other individuals in the Platform or deliberately inflammatory remarks about CPA Australia (including its products/services, directors, officers, employees, agents and/or contractors or affiliates).
- Respect intellectual property. Post content that you have personally created or have permission to use/share and have properly attributed to the content creator. CPA Australia will not be liable for any unauthorised publishing/sharing of any content by a participant on the Platform.
- When posting items in our collaborative environment, please indicate if the item is not available for reuse. It’s also advisable to contact the owner of any material if you would like to reuse it.
- Post your message or documents only to the most appropriate communities on the Platform. This helps ensure all messages are targeted towards the most relevant participants and successful engagement and discussion.
- Do not spam the community with repeated posts in multiple discussions. Spamming the community can also be @tagging many members in a discussion or private messaging a large number of members with the same communication.
- If you receive unsolicited spam like private messages from other members, this activity can be reported to the community manager and will be dealt with accordingly.
- Discussion Group Etiquette
i. State concisely and clearly the topic of your post in the subject line. This allows participants to respond more appropriately to your posting and makes it easier for participants to search the archives by subject.
ii. When replying with messages such as "thanks for the information" or "me, too" to individuals, do this by using the "Reply to Sender" link in every message. Rather than responding the entire group. This will ensure notifications are relevant and effective and the messages are directed to the appropriate participant.
iii. Do not send administrative messages, such as “remove me from the list,” to the group. Instead, use the web interface to change your settings or to remove yourself from a list. If you are changing email addresses, you do not need to remove yourself from the list and re-join under your new email address. Simply change your settings.
- Artificial Intelligence:
i. For the purposes of these Terms, AI means the use of any machines and/or computer-based systems, machine learning, large language models, and/or algorithms including generative technology (such as Chat GPT), and chat bots.
ii. We generally consider that answers sourced from large language models, such as ChatGPT, are usually insufficient or inaccurate to be viable as legitimate responses at this point in time. However, any information generated, copied, and/or reproduced using any form of AI and published in the Platform must be clearly identified and attributed with the source.
iii. Be aware of the limitations of generative AI tools. These tools are not perfect, and they can sometimes produce inaccurate or misleading content. Therefore, any content generated must be reviewed prior to publication.
iv. Pay attention to ethical issues: Do not use generative AI tools to create content that is false, misleading, defamatory, discriminatory, or offensive.
v. Use of any bots, including any chat bots on this Platform is prohibited, and may result in action as set out in sub-section vi. below.
vi. Any post that we consider does not comply with these Terms may be deleted and may also result in the permanent removal and/or suspension of the Participant from the Platform.
- The Legal Stuff
- The Platform is provided as a service for the members of CPA Australia.
- CPA Australia is not responsible for the opinions, views and information posted on the Platform by others.
- CPA Australia does not warrant or make any representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability or fitness for purpose of any information contained, communicated or posted via the Platform (including by CPA Australia or any third party). CPA Australia expressly disclaims all and any liability to any person in respect of anything and the consequences of anything, done or omitted to be done by any such person in reliance, in whole or part, of any information, communication, or post published and/or shared on the Platform.
- Information posted and or communicated on this Platform, in part or full, is not intended to be professional advice and should not be considered professional advice. It is also not intended to replace consultation with an appropriately qualified professional or provider. CPA Australia Ltd is not liable for any decision taken by any individual on the basis of any information published on the Platform.
- In no event shall CPA Australia be liable for any special, indirect, or consequential damages or any damages whatsoever including but not limited to resulting from loss of use, data, or profits, arising out of or in connection with the use or performance of any communication and/or information posted on the Platform.
- Do not post any defamatory, derogatory, abusive, profane, threatening, offensive, illegal materials or material that may be contrary to any applicable professional standards. Do not post any information or other material protected by copyright without the prior permission of the copyright owner. By posting material, the posting party warrants and represents that they own the copyright with respect to such material or have received permission from the copyright owner. In addition, the posting party grants CPA Australia and users of the Platform the non-exclusive and perpetual right and license to display, copy, publish, distribute, transmit, print, re-share and use such information or other material.
- Messages should not be posted if they encourage or facilitate members to arrive at any agreement that either expressly or impliedly leads to price fixing, a boycott of another's business, or other conduct intended to illegally restrict free trade. Messages that encourage or facilitate an agreement about the following subjects are inappropriate: prices, discounts, or terms or conditions of sale; salaries; profits, profit margins, or cost data; market shares, sales territories, or markets; allocation of customers or territories; or selection, rejection, or termination of customers or suppliers.
- CPA Australia does not actively monitor the Platform for inappropriate postings and does not on its own undertake editorial control of postings. However, in the event that any inappropriate posting is brought to the attention of CPA Australia, it will take all appropriate action.
- CPA Australia reserves the right to terminate access to any user who does not abide by these Terms.
- The laws applicable to the use of the Platform and to disputes arising in connection with the Platform are the laws applying in the State of Victoria in Australia. If you access the Platform from outside Australia, you are also responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable laws in the place where you are located.
- To the extent applicable, the CPA Australia General Website Terms of Use (a copy of which is available on its website here: https://www.cpaaustralia.com.au/ utilities/terms) also applies to the use of the Platform by you.
CPA Australia may change these Terms at its discretion and without notice. A version of the current Terms will be available on the Platform as they are changed. By continuing to use the Platform, you acknowledge and accept the Terms as they apply from time to time.
- Do not collect or scrape data, participant contact details or any other form of content from this platform for personal use or gain.
- Do not post or run competitions (Game of Skill or Chance).
- Non-compliance with these Terms
i. In order to preserve an environment that encourages both respectful and productive dialogue, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate participation in the Platform for any participant that does not comply with these Terms (acting in our sole discretion).
ii. We may also refer a participant to CPA Australia’s professional conduct team where further disciplinary action may be taken.
- Privacy
Privacy Policy
i. Your personal information will be handled by CPA Australia in accordance with the CPA Australia Privacy Policy which is available here (www.cpaaustralia.com.au/privacy-policy-and-statement).
ii. When you use Member Connect – including associated chat rooms, message boards, etc - you are reminded that any information that is disclosed in these areas may become public information and you should exercise your own judgment and caution when deciding to disclose your own or other individuals’ personal information.
iii. Member Connect is provided through a contracted third party: Higher Logic, LLC, and your use of the platform will also be governed by their privacy policy and any terms and conditions to which you are advised to refer here (Privacy Policy | Higher Logic).
iv. Third party providers are required to handle your personal information with the appropriate level of security and confidentiality to protect your personal information.
v. Your personal information provided in connection with the use of the Platform including your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address will not be sold or rented.
With Whom Does CPA Australia Share the Personal Information Collected Through The Platform:
- Our Service Providers
We may share your personal information with contracted service providers (including our affiliates) that perform services on our behalf. Our service providers are required by contract to protect the privacy, security and confidentiality of your personal information and to take reasonable steps to protect your information from unauthorized access, use and disclosure. They are contractually bound to only use your personal information to provide specific services on our behalf to enable your use of Member Connect.
- Business Transfers
Your personal information may be disclosed to a purchaser or potential purchaser of OUR business (but only where and to the extent it is necessary to do so and under appropriate confidentiality obligations).
Government and Legal Disclosures
We may disclose your personal information:
- to law enforcement or government and regulatory bodies as required or permitted by law
- As required under court orders, subpoenas and other legal processes or investigations as required by law.
- to monitor the use and availability of Our network and online services to ensure such use is authorised, for system administration, to protect against unauthorised access, and to prevent, detect and manage fraudulent activity.
- in the provision of emergency or safety messages and to facilitate appropriate assistance in the event of an emergency in the management and security of CPA Australia premises and facilities generally and for the security of staff, members and visitors; and
- In accordance with laws and regulatory compliance.
External Sites
We are not responsible for the content of external internet sites. You are advised to read the privacy policy of external sites before disclosing any personal information.
Cookies
A "cookie" is a small data text file that is placed in your browser and allows us to recognise you each time you visit the Platform (personalisation, etc.). Cookies themselves do not contain any personal information, and we do not use cookies to collect personal information. Cookies may also be used by third-party content providers such as news feeds. CPA Australia uses cookies necessary for the function of its websites and to personalize the user’s experience, such as saving a user’s preferences. CPA Australia sometimes uses cookies to deliver advertising on various websites you may visit.
Remember The Risks Whenever You Use The Internet
While CPA Australia will do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to us in connection with the Platform and you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information. In addition, other Internet sites or services that may be accessible through the Platform have separate data and privacy practices independent of us, and therefore we disclaim any responsibility or liability for their policies or actions. Please contact those vendors and others directly if you have any questions about their privacy policies.
- Contact CPA Australia
For any other information please contact us using the Contact Us page (Contact Us | CPA Australia), or email communitymanager@cpaaustralia.com.au.