Safety Policy
This Safety Policy explains the requirements for safer marketplace use, reporting and review.
1 Purpose and responsibilities
This Policy sets out safety requirements for using Australian Helper's website, app and marketplace services (the Platform). Tasker, Helper and Task Agreement have the meanings given in our Terms of Use. Read this Policy with those Terms, the Community Guidelines, Privacy Policy and Cancellation and Refund Policy.
Australian Helper provides the marketplace service. The Helper supplies the task service under the Task Agreement unless Australian Helper expressly agrees otherwise. Members must take reasonable care, share relevant risk information and comply with the laws applicable to their work. Using the Platform does not itself make Australian Helper a guarantor of a member's conduct or task performance.
This Policy does not transfer to a member any obligation the law imposes on Australian Helper. It does not exclude or restrict applicable consumer guarantees, workplace safety obligations, workers compensation requirements, regulated-worker protections or other rights and obligations that cannot lawfully be excluded or restricted. Liability is governed by the Terms of Use and applicable law.
For immediate danger or a medical emergency in Australia, call 000. Move to safety where possible. Platform support is not an emergency service; do not wait for a support response before obtaining emergency assistance.
2 Insurance arrangements
Australian Helper does not currently provide or arrange insurance cover for members or tasks booked through the Platform. A booking, payment, account check, moderation action, badge or review does not create insurance cover through Australian Helper.
Any insurance held by a member is separate from Australian Helper and is subject to the insurer's terms, exclusions, limits and claim requirements. Neither a document displayed on the Platform nor a booking confirmation establishes that an insurer will pay a particular claim.
The absence of task insurance does not determine legal liability or remove a right to seek a refund, compensation or another remedy where available under law. It does not remove any insurance or compensation obligation imposed by law on Australian Helper or a member.
3 Insurance and verification checks
Helpers must obtain and maintain any insurance required by law for their work. They must also meet any lawful task-specific insurance requirement disclosed and agreed before acceptance. Helpers must not misrepresent their cover and must provide current evidence of relevant cover when reasonably requested for the task.
Taskers should discuss relevant licences, screening clearances and insurance with the Helper before work starts, and check appropriate evidence against the work proposed. Helpers should assess whether additional cover is suitable for their services. Members should check whether their own policies cover the proposed activity, including paid work or business use where relevant. Membership alone does not require every member to buy each type of insurance. A failure to inspect a policy or badge does not, by itself, waive a member's legal rights.
Insurance information in this Policy is general. Ask an insurer or an appropriately authorised insurance adviser about cover suitable for your circumstances and the terms of a particular policy.
An account check, badge or review has only the meaning explained for that feature. It does not, by itself, establish every occupational licence, required screening clearance, insurance policy, suitability for a task or future safe conduct. Check the source, scope, date, expiry and current status of relevant evidence. A police check is not a substitute for a legally required Working with Children Check or other specific clearance.
These limits do not reduce the scope of a particular check expressly advertised by Australian Helper or remove our responsibility for our own checks and representations. We do not promise continuous monitoring of a member's criminal history, licence or insurance unless that particular service is expressly described.
4 Before assigning or accepting a task
Taskers must describe the task and known material hazards accurately, have authority to request the work and grant access, and provide reasonably safe access and conditions within their control.
Helpers must assess whether they have the skills, lawful authorisations, suitable equipment and capacity to complete the task safely. Do not accept work you cannot lawfully or safely perform.
Confirm the scope, total price, materials, timing, access arrangements and relevant hazards in writing. Share relevant information about pets, other people present, parking and site conditions privately where needed for safety.
Use the Platform's booking and payment process for that booking, as required by the Terms of Use. A Helper must not start paid work until the Platform confirms that the required payment step has been completed. Payment confirmation is not insurance.
Keep material agreements and changes in the task communications, or supply them to support if that feature is unavailable. Necessary telephone calls and direct contact for access, safety or practical arrangements are permitted. Record material changes afterwards when safe. Nothing prevents contact with emergency services, authorities, insurers or advisers.
Do not publish exact home addresses, access codes, identity documents or unnecessary details about children or other occupants in public listings. Share only the information reasonably needed with the assigned Helper or another person lawfully authorised to receive it. Use personal information only for an authorised purpose.
5 Licences and higher risk work
Regulated work may proceed only where the person performing it meets the requirements applicable to the place and type of work. These may include a current licence, registration, permit, qualification, screening clearance or other authorisation. A general account badge or a task category is not permission to perform regulated work.
Do not request or perform work outside an authorisation's scope or while it is expired, suspended or otherwise ineffective. Each person performing regulated work must meet the applicable requirements. Do not substitute another worker or subcontract the task without the Tasker's informed agreement where the worker's identity or qualifications are material.
Australian Helper may decline or restrict a task or category where reasonably necessary to address a material safety or legal risk. Work involving heights, hazardous substances, dangerous equipment, electrical or structural hazards, transport or personal care requires controls appropriate to the actual risk and applicable law. Do not proceed if required authorisations or adequate controls are absent. A listing being visible does not constitute Australian Helper's approval of its safety or legality.
6 During a task and stopping unsafe work
Take reasonable care of yourself and others. Use suitable equipment and protective measures, follow lawful safety requirements and do not work while impaired by alcohol, drugs or fatigue to a degree that makes the work unsafe. Taskers must not ask a Helper to bypass a safety control or legal requirement.
If work presents a serious or immediate safety risk, stop the unsafe activity and move to safety where possible. If conditions or scope materially differ from the agreed task, raise the issue and agree on a lawful, safe way forward before continuing the affected work. Do not enter or remain somewhere you reasonably believe is unsafe.
No member is required to continue unsafe or unlawful work to avoid a platform penalty. Report the issue when safe and provide relevant information. A safety report does not automatically cancel every payment obligation or establish entitlement to a full refund. Cancellation, payment and refund consequences depend on the actual circumstances, work properly performed, applicable policy and law.
Use keys, access codes, vehicles, tools and property only as authorised for the task. Do not retain access credentials or copies without lawful authority. Tell the affected member promptly about damage or another material incident when it is safe to do so. Do not conceal hazards, injuries or damage, or alter evidence dishonestly.
7 Children and people receiving care or support
Account holders must be at least 18 under our Terms of Use. Where a task involves children or a person receiving care or support, obtain the lawful authority and informed consent required for the particular service, including a parent, guardian or authorised representative's involvement where the law requires it. Disability or age alone does not establish that a person lacks capacity to consent.
Anyone performing work subject to child-related, disability, aged care or other screening requirements must satisfy the applicable rules before doing that work. A standard identity or police check does not establish every required clearance. Members must respect the person's dignity, privacy and safety and must not exploit, coerce, abuse or leave them in an unsafe situation.
8 Online safety and prohibited conduct
Threats, violence, stalking, harassment, sexual exploitation, grooming, fraud, impersonation, unlawful discrimination and privacy-invasive conduct are prohibited. Do not share intimate material without lawful consent, child sexual exploitation material or other unlawful content. Do not threaten, pressure or retaliate against someone for a genuine safety report or the exercise of a legal right.
Do not send passwords, one-time security codes or payment credentials to another member. Treat requests to bypass the booking payment process, send money to an unfamiliar account, or disclose unnecessary identity information as potential warning signs. Report suspected account misuse or fraud promptly when safe.
9 Reporting concerns and collecting evidence
Report a safety concern through available in-app reporting or support, or email support@australianhelper.com. You may report a task, content, conduct or an action affecting your account. Include the task reference if available, dates, a description of the concern, whether anyone faces immediate risk, and relevant evidence that is safe and lawful to provide. A missing task reference does not prevent a genuine report.
Where available, use contact-blocking tools to reduce unwanted contact. If no relevant tool is available or it does not address the concern, contact support. A block or report does not itself cancel a booking, payment or legal obligation; ask support about the affected booking when safe.
Keep relevant messages, dates and account or content links where safe and lawful. Do not download, screenshot, forward or attach child sexual exploitation material or other illegal or restricted content as evidence. Report its location, such as the link or account details, through the appropriate reporting channel. For online harm, eSafety reporting information is available at https://www.esafety.gov.au/report. Suspected crimes may also be reported to police.
10 Platform action and review
We assess reports using the information reasonably available to us. Priority depends on severity, immediacy, vulnerability and available evidence, including risks involving children, threats, violence, intimate material and fraud. A report or automated flag does not, by itself, prove a breach.
Where there are reasonable grounds to consider action necessary for safety, suspected fraud, legal compliance or a material breach, we may request relevant information, restrict or remove content, limit contact or features, pause or decline a booking, or restrict or suspend an account under the Terms of Use. Action must be proportionate to the risk. Payment restrictions must also comply with the disclosed payment arrangement, the Terms of Use and applicable law; funds are not automatically forfeited because of a safety report or account restriction.
An urgent risk may require temporary action before a response is obtained. Where practicable, we will explain the relevant grounds and give an affected member a reasonable opportunity to respond or request review. We will review temporary measures within a reasonable time. We may limit disclosure where law, another person's privacy or a genuine safety or investigative concern requires it, and explain the position to the extent lawful and appropriate.
Request review through available in-app support or the contact email, with any relevant new information. A review does not necessarily remove an interim safety measure. We must follow any deactivation procedure, review requirement or other protection required by applicable law. We do not promise that reporting or moderation will detect or prevent every incident, and any tools we describe must accurately reflect the service provided.
11 Safety information and records
We may collect, use and retain information reasonably necessary to assess reports, manage safety, resolve disputes or meet legal obligations, as explained in the Privacy Policy and permitted by law. Access and disclosure must be limited to lawful purposes. Reporting does not authorise unrelated publication of private information or use of sensitive evidence for advertising.
We may preserve relevant records where reasonably needed or legally required, including after an account closes. We will apply the security, retention and deletion requirements applicable to that information. We may disclose relevant information to police, regulators, emergency or specialist services where legally required or otherwise lawfully justified. We cannot promise absolute confidentiality, and reporting to Australian Helper does not replace any notification to an authority required by law.
12 Response targets and external assistance
We aim to acknowledge urgent safety reports as soon as reasonably practicable, acknowledge other safety reports within two business days, and provide an outcome or progress update within 10 business days of receiving the report. Business days are Monday to Friday excluding public holidays in Victoria, measured in Melbourne time. These safety-specific targets apply to safety reports; general complaint targets are set out in the Terms of Use.
These are service targets, not guarantees of immediate intervention or a particular outcome. Complex matters, urgent priorities or the need for further information may affect timing. Where more time is needed, we aim to explain the reason and next steps. We must comply with any shorter response, removal, review, payment or reporting deadline required by law. Do not rely on these targets for emergency assistance.
You may seek advice or contact police, eSafety, a workplace safety regulator or another appropriate authority without waiting for our process where permitted by law. Australian Helper does not decide criminal liability or provide a binding determination of your legal rights. Our process does not extend or suspend an external legal deadline, including a deadline for an eligible unfair-deactivation application.
13 Policy updates
Changes to this Policy follow the notice and acceptance requirements in the Terms of Use and applicable law. Urgent safety measures may be taken where reasonably necessary, subject to required procedures. A change does not retrospectively remove accrued rights or alter an accepted Task Agreement except where law requires it or the affected parties separately agree.