Welcome to the Animals Australia community! We value the vibrant discussions and diverse perspectives that contribute to our mission of advocating for animals. To ensure that our social media channels remain a positive and respectful space for everyone, we’ve established these community guidelines. By participating in our online platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media channels — you agree to follow these rules.
We welcome and encourage constructive discussion about animal protection issues, and do not moderate our channels based on opinion. We do however not condone harmful or unproductive dialogue, and may remove any comments that breach the following guidelines, and remove users who do not respect these rules.
Guidelines for Participation
1. Be respectful and kind
- We celebrate diversity and welcome a wide range of opinions. Please treat all members of our community with kindness and respect.
- We will not tolerate any form of harassment, discrimination, hate speech, or abusive behavior. This includes, but is not limited to, foul language, personal insults, derogatory remarks, and threats of any kind. Posts made solely to incite arguments (trolling) are also not welcome.
2. Engage constructively
Share your opinions constructively and be open to hearing other viewpoints. If you disagree with someone, do so respectfully. Personal attacks or inflammatory comments will not be tolerated.
3. Promote inclusivity and safety
- Our community is built on the principles of compassion, equality, and respect for all. We celebrate diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and ability.
- We have a zero-tolerance policy for hate speech or discriminatory language. This includes any content that demeans, marginalises, or incites hostility against individuals or groups based on their identity.
- Instead of simply rejecting hate, we actively encourage conversations that uplift and empower. We ask our community members to engage thoughtfully, recognising that words have the power to heal and unite, as well as to harm.
- If you see any behaviour that contradicts these values, we encourage you to speak out against it or report it. We are committed to taking swift and decisive action to remove harmful content and ensure our community remains a safe and welcoming space for everyone.
4. Comment etiquette
- When participating in discussions, please avoid using ALL CAPS, as this is often interpreted as shouting and can come across as aggressive or rude. Instead, use standard sentence case to ensure your message is clear and respectful.
- Use respectful and considerate language. Remember that tone can be difficult to convey in written text, so aim for clarity and kindness in your comments.
- Before posting, take a moment to read over your comment to ensure it is constructive and contributes positively to the conversation.
- If you wish to share a relevant link, please provide context that allows the reader to understand what they will see when they click on the link. Any link that is shared without context will be automatically deleted. This is not only to ensure that comments are constructive and thoughtful, but helps to keep our community safe from harmful/upsetting content.
5. Stay On Topic
- Keep your comments relevant to the topic of the post. This helps ensure that discussions are constructive and easy for others to follow.
6. Direct Questions Appropriately
- While we strive to engage with our community, we cannot guarantee that all comments or questions will be seen immediately. For urgent inquiries, please contact us directly via email at enquiries@animalsaustralia.org or by phone at 1800 888 584.
7. Maintain a peaceful environment
If you come across a post that you believe is inappropriate, please use the ‘Report Comment’ feature rather than responding directly. We do our best to remove offensive content quickly and appreciate your help in keeping our community respectful and inclusive.
8. Protect your personal information
Avoid sharing personal details on public forums. Never share sensitive information such as bank details, address/location or other identification in comments (not just on our page!) We cannot be held responsible if your private information is accessed by others.
9. Abide by the Law
We do not endorse or condone any illegal activities. Please refrain from discussing or planning illegal actions on our platforms.
10. No Spam, Advertisements or promotion of animal products
We want our community to be a valuable space for everyone. Please do not post spam, unsolicited advertisements, or repetitive messages. Self-promotion, including links to your own or others’ products, services, or content, is not allowed. And while we believe that providing animals with a better quality of life is a positive step, animals from all systems (including free range and RSPCA-Approved) are slaughtered via methods that cause great suffering, and that most consumers would never condone. As such, we do not allow promotion of animal products, including “higher welfare” products, across our social media pages.
Consequences for Breaching Guidelines
If you violate these guidelines, your post may be deleted. Repeated violations could result in a ban from our social media platforms. We reserve the right to enforce these rules at our discretion to maintain a safe and welcoming community.
If you have any questions or need further clarification about these guidelines, please feel free to reach out to us directly via enquiries@animalsaustralia.org.
