Welcome to Uprouted (accessible via uprouted.com.au, “the Site”, “the Platform”). Uprouted is an independent public interest journalism platform operated in Queensland, Australia.

By accessing, reading, subscribing to, or submitting tips to Uprouted, you agree to comply with and be bound by the following Terms of Service (”Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, please discontinue your use of our platform.

1. Editorial Integrity and Press Standards

Uprouted is committed to rigorous, independent public interest journalism.

• We voluntarily adhere to the Australian Press Council (APC) Statement of General Principles and Privacy Principles.

• We strive for accuracy, fairness, and balance. If you believe we have made a factual error, please contact us via our official corrections channel. Our commitment to transparency means corrections will be handled openly and promptly.

• Content on this platform is for general informational and journalistic purposes. It does not constitute formal legal, migration, financial, or medical advice.

2. Intellectual Property and Copyright

Unless otherwise stated, all material published on Uprouted—including articles, audio, podcast episodes, graphics, design, and code—is the intellectual property of Uprouted and is protected by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and international copyright laws.

• Personal Use: You may read, listen to, download, and print content for your personal, non-commercial use.

• Sharing: We encourage sharing our journalism via direct links, social media sharing tools, or brief quotes (under the principle of fair dealing), provided that Uprouted and the author are clearly credited.

• Prohibited Use: You must not republish full articles, scrape our text for commercial use, or use our investigative data without explicit, written permission from the publisher.

3. Reader Tips and User Submissions

When you submit a tip, story idea, document, or lead via our website tip form:

• Source Protection: In accordance with Australian journalist shield laws and the APC Privacy Principles, we take the anonymity of confidential sources with the utmost seriousness. Your identifying details will never be disclosed without your explicit consent unless required by a court of law.

• Accuracy: You agree that any information or tips you provide are, to the best of your knowledge, truthful, accurate, and not intentionally misleading.

• Licensing: By submitting non-confidential content or community stories to us, you grant Uprouted a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to research, report on, adapt, and publish that information in our journalism.

4. User Comments and Community Interaction

We enforce strict standards for our reply sections, social channels, and community spaces to ensure they remain safe, constructive, and civil. By interacting with our platform, you agree to our Community Guidelines. We reserve the right to hide, delete, or modify user-generated content, or permanently ban accounts without notice, if a user engages in:

• Defamatory, abusive, harassing, or threatening behaviour.

• Hate speech, including racism, xenophobia, or discrimination based on visa/citizenship status, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.

• Trolling, deliberate disinformation, spamming, or commercial solicitation.

5. Privacy and Data Handling

Your privacy is incredibly important to us. Any personal information we collect—including email addresses for newsletter subscriptions or contact information from tip submissions—is handled strictly in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and our Privacy Policy. We will never sell your data to third parties.

6. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

• “As Is” Basis: Uprouted is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. While we take every reasonable measure to ensure our digital services are secure, virus-free, and uninterrupted, we do not guarantee that the site will always be error-free.

• Australian Consumer Law: Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any consumer guarantees or rights you have under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). To the maximum extent permitted by law, Uprouted is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from your use of the platform or reliance on our published information.

7. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Queensland, Australia. By using this platform, you irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland regarding any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Site.

8. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our operational practices or shifting legal requirements. Your continued use of Uprouted following any updates signifies your acceptance of the revised Terms.

Contact Us: For queries regarding these terms, intellectual property syndication, or corrections, please contact us via the forms provided on uprouted.com.au.