Corrections Policy | AusBusinessRegister.com.au
AusBusinessRegister.com.au publishes guidance on tax, ASIC compliance, employment law, and foreign investment in Australia. These are areas where being wrong has consequences. This page sets out how we deal with errors when we find them or when readers report them.
Our commitment
If we have published something that is wrong, we want to know about it, and we will fix it. That is the short version. The rest of this page sets out the process.
We hold ourselves to two principles:
1. Fix it quickly. A wrong fact on a regulator-linked page should not stay up while we work out what to do. 2. Be transparent about the change. A silent edit looks like we never made the mistake. A dated correction note tells readers what changed and when, so they can re-evaluate any decision they made on the old version.
How to report a correction
The fastest route is email:
- Email: [email protected]
- Subject line: “Correction: [page URL]”
Please include, where you can:
- The URL of the page
- The specific paragraph, sentence, or figure that is wrong
- What you believe the correct position is
- A source we can verify it against (a link to the relevant ASIC, ATO, ABRS, FIRB, or Fair Work page is ideal)
You can also call +61 2 8599 9890 if a phone call is easier.
We accept corrections from anyone: readers, clients, professional peers, and regulator staff who notice we have miscited their guidance. We do not require you to identify yourself, though it helps if we need to come back to you for clarification.
Our response time
| Stage | SLA | |——-|—–| | Acknowledgement of report | Within 2 business days | | Decision (correct, no action, or under investigation) | Within 5 business days | | Correction published, where action is required | Within 2 business days of decision | | Major correction or full retraction | Within 5 business days of decision; complex matters may take longer and we will tell you when to expect resolution |
Where the correction is urgent (for example, a wrong ASIC fee that a reader might rely on tomorrow) we will fix the page first and confirm the change to you afterwards.
How corrections are flagged on the page
We use three levels of correction marker, depending on the materiality of the change.
1. Typo or wording fix (no factual change)
Fixed silently. Examples: a misspelled word, a broken anchor link, a clumsy sentence. No marker is added, because no fact has changed.
2. Factual correction
Recorded in the changelog at the foot of the page, in this format:
> Updated [date]: Corrected the ASIC late lodgement fee for documents up to one month overdue. Previously stated $X, the correct figure is $Y. Government source: [link].
The corrected figure replaces the old figure in-line so the page reads cleanly. The changelog entry preserves the history.
3. Material correction
Used where a reader following the previous version could have made a wrong decision (for example, a wrong FIRB threshold, a wrong tax rate, or a wrong filing deadline). The page carries a dated correction note at the top for at least 60 days:
> Correction (added [date]): This page previously stated [old position]. The correct position is [new position]. The page has been updated. If you acted on the previous version, please contact us at [email protected].
A matching, more detailed entry is added to the changelog and remains there permanently.
Retractions
Where a page is wrong in a way we cannot defensibly fix with an edit (for example, the entire premise of a guide has been overtaken by a change in law) the page is retracted rather than rewritten in place.
A retraction means:
- The page is replaced with a short retraction notice naming what was wrong, why we are retracting rather than editing, and the date of the retraction.
- The original URL is preserved (so external links still resolve to the retraction notice, not a 404).
- A new, correct page is published at a new URL where appropriate, and the retraction notice links to it.
- The retraction notice stays up indefinitely.
We treat retraction as a serious step and use it sparingly. It is reserved for cases where leaving the original up (even with a heavy correction note) would be misleading.
Government source links
Most of our citations point to ASIC, ATO, ABRS, FIRB, or Fair Work pages. Government URLs change regularly. If a citation link no longer resolves, please report it as a correction. We treat broken government links the same as a wrong figure: the page is misleading until the link is fixed.
What we will not do
- We will not remove a correction note to make the page look cleaner. A page that has been wrong has been wrong; the changelog stays.
- We will not fix factual errors by rewriting history. The original error and its correction are visible in the changelog.
- We will not threaten or deter readers from reporting issues. Telling us we are wrong is a service to other readers.
Conflicts of interest
If a correction touches on a matter where AusBusinessRegister.com.au or someone in the wider Prime Partners group has a commercial interest (for example, a service we sell), the correction is reviewed by a team member who is not directly involved in selling that service.
Limits of this policy
This policy covers factual errors on the website. It does not extend to disagreements about commentary or opinion, nor does it create a complaints process for the professional services we provide under engagement. Those are governed by the engagement letter and our professional body rules (CA ANZ, The Tax Institute).
For corrections relating specifically to fees and rates, see also the Fee Update Policy.
Contact
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: +61 2 8599 9890
- Office: 1 James Place, North Sydney NSW 2060
AusBusinessRegister.com.au is a Sydney-based professional-services firm and part of the Prime Partners group. We are not the Australian Government’s Australian Business Register or ASIC. See Why we are not the government ABR.