If there is an emergency or there is serious danger, please call 000 . Your safety is our biggest priority, and as an awareness group, you need to contact law enforcement for serious criminal offences.

General Group Rules for Members on Facebook:

  1. Respectful Communication: Treat all members with kindness, respect, and courtesy. No bullying, harassment, or hate speech.
  2. Stay on Topic: Posts should be relevant to the group's purpose — community news, local updates, and crime alerts.
  3. No Spamming: Avoid posting irrelevant links, repeated content, or promotions unless explicitly allowed by the admins. If you constantly attempt to post irrelevant content, your account/page will be banned without warning.
  4. No Personal Attacks: Debate is encouraged, but personal attacks, insults, or inflammatory comments will not be tolerated.
  5. No Misinformation: Do not spread false information. All posts should be fact-checked and credible.
  6. Privacy Respect: Do not share personal details or private messages from other members without permission.
  7. No Political or Religious Debates: Keep conversations neutral. Any content that incites political or religious controversy is not allowed.
  8. No Self-Promotion: Unless specifically permitted, personal advertisements, promotional content, and solicitations are prohibited.
  9. Refer Serious Matters to Authorities: If you have information about a serious crime or ongoing danger, report it to the police immediately rather than relying solely on group discussions. This includes ongoing investigations or serious incidents that require law enforcement.
  10. Serious Allegations Involving Minors: Any accusations or allegations made about minors must be handled with care. Do not name minors or spread unverified information. Always report any concerns involving minors to the appropriate authorities (police or child protection services).
  11. Follow Facebook’s Community Standards: Any content violating Facebook's community guidelines will result in post removal or member suspension.
  12. Report Issues to Admins: If you see something inappropriate, report it to the admins rather than engaging.

Rules for Members Looking to Have Their Post Approved on Facebook:

  1. Relevance: Ensure your post is related to community news, local updates, or crime alerts within the specified Gold Coast suburbs.
  2. Respectful Tone: Posts must be respectful and should not include any discriminatory, offensive, or inappropriate language.
  3. No Ads or Promotions: No promotional or business-related posts unless you've been given explicit permission by admins.
  4. Fact-Checking: All information shared in your post should be accurate, credible, and verified before submission.
  5. Non-Duplicative: Check that your post has not already been shared by yourself or someone else in the group. Duplicates will not be approved.
  6. Serious Allegations: If your post involves an accusation or serious claim, especially involving minors, ensure it has been reported to the relevant authorities before posting in the group. Be mindful of privacy and the potential harm of unverified claims. Allegations against people that you currently know, or previously knew (including former intimate partners) must be made from your actual profile, not anonymously. Please make sure you have compiled as much evidence as possible from other legitimate victims before making a post. You need to own what you post, as accountability is incredibly important to maintain the integrity of the group without spreading misinformation from an unverified source.
  7. Clear Communication: Posts should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Avoid using excessive capital letters or slang.
  8. Follow Group Guidelines: Make sure your post aligns with all other group rules and Facebook standards.

Reasons Why a Post May Have Been Disapproved:

  1. Irrelevant Content: The post did not pertain to the group’s focus (local news, community updates, or crime alerts).
  2. Promotional or Spammy: The post contained advertisements, self-promotion, or spammy content.
  3. Factually Inaccurate: The post shared unverified information, rumours, or misinformation.
  4. Duplicate Post: The content has already been shared or discussed in the group.
  5. Offensive Language or Tone: The post included inappropriate, offensive, or discriminatory language.
  6. Privacy Violations: The post violated someone’s privacy by sharing sensitive information without consent.
  7. Inappropriate Visuals or Links: The post contained inappropriate images, videos, or external links.
  8. Offensive or Divisive Topic: The post involved divisive topics like political or religious debates not relevant to the group’s mission.
  9. Serious Allegations Not Reported: The post made serious allegations without having been reported to the police or other authorities first.
  10. Serious Allegations Not Verified: The post made serious allegations about a person or business without first seeking out evidence from multiple other victims, along with not posting under their own profile name (accountability).
  11. Violation of Child Protection Guidelines: The post mentioned minors inappropriately or spread unverified accusations.

What topics are not allowed:

We aim to report on local news and petty, small and mid-level crime, and believe that it's not in our best interests (or our members' best interests) to report or cover stories on the following:

    • High-level, organised crime (drug trafficking, human trafficking etc.)
    • High-level, gang-related crime and bikies
    • Domestic violence/family violence (unless specific circumstances are met)
    • Relationships/partners/highly personal relations matters (unless the offender is a serial criminal with more than 3 serious victims, and concrete evidence and convictions to back claims. These claims cannot be made anonymously).
    • Suicide
    • Murder (that's still under investigation)
    • Weather events