Effective date: 30 September 2026
Pride Compass Australia is operated by Solway Web Consulting, trading as Pride Compass Australia, ABN 16 750 149 558. We aim to help LGBTQIA+ people find welcoming places, services and community connections across Australia. Inclusion means attending to the barriers people experience, not simply displaying a rainbow symbol.
This policy sets our expectations for our own service, content and listing decisions. Read it alongside our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
1. Dignity, respect and participation
We welcome people of diverse sexual orientations, genders, sex characteristics, cultures, races, ages, disabilities, faiths, family circumstances and backgrounds. People can experience several forms of exclusion at once; no single label describes everyone's needs or experiences.
We do not tolerate harassment, threats, sexual harassment, racism, ableism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, intersex discrimination or other abusive conduct in our service or submissions. We do not permit outing, doxxing, dehumanising material or attempts to intimidate someone for raising a concern. Payment for a listing does not exempt an operator from these expectations.
Our editorial standards may go beyond the minimum legal requirements. A decision that content is unsuitable for our directory is not a court finding that its author has broken the law.
2. Australian anti-discrimination framework
We seek to provide our services consistently with applicable Australian anti-discrimination law. Relevant Commonwealth legislation includes the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Sex Discrimination Act 1984, Racial Discrimination Act 1975 and Age Discrimination Act 2004. State and territory anti-discrimination and vilification laws may provide additional or different protections.
These laws address discrimination in specified areas of public life, including the provision of goods and services. The Sex Discrimination Act includes protections relating to sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status. Disability protections can require reasonable adjustments and address indirect barriers as well as overt exclusion. Racial protections include race, colour, descent and national or ethnic origin.
The application of a law depends on the circumstances, and lawful exceptions, special measures and exemptions may apply. We do not assume that every difference in treatment is unlawful, or that describing a space as community-specific automatically makes every restriction lawful. Listed operators remain responsible for understanding and meeting their own obligations. This policy does not limit anyone's legal rights.
3. LGBTQIA+ inclusion and privacy
We respect people's names, pronouns and descriptions of their identities. We aim to use current, respectful language and correct mistakes when brought to our attention. We recognise that intersex variations concern sex characteristics and are not themselves a sexual orientation or gender identity. People may identify with some, all or none of the labels represented in LGBTQIA+.
We will not require someone to disclose their sexual orientation, gender history, intersex status or medical information merely to browse the directory or join our mailing list. We do not infer identity from appearance, a name, attendance at a venue or use of our service. Public ownership or identity labels should be based on an authorised description and appropriate consent, rather than speculation.
We expect submissions to avoid deliberate misgendering, deadnaming, stereotyping and unnecessary disclosure of private identity information. A concern can be raised through a trusted representative with the person's permission. We handle sensitive details under our Privacy Policy and limit disclosure when reviewing complaints.
4. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples
We acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the Traditional Custodians of the lands and waters across Australia and honour their continuing connections to Country, culture and community. Pride Compass Australia is based on Gadigal Country. We pay our respects to Elders past and present and extend that respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who use and contribute to the directory, including LGBTQIA+ First Nations people.
Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples are distinct peoples with diverse cultures, languages, histories and protocols. We aim to use the specific Nation, community or language-group name a person or organisation prefers, where known and appropriate. We do not assume that one person speaks for all communities or use cultural identity as a marketing label without permission.
We respect self-identification, self-determination and Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property. Contributors should obtain appropriate authority before supplying cultural stories, language, artwork, photographs or knowledge. Public availability is not, by itself, cultural permission. We will seek guidance from the relevant rights holders or community where appropriate and respond to requests to correct attribution, restrict culturally sensitive content or remove material supplied without authority.
Protocols concerning names, images and voices of people who have died vary between communities. Where we know content raises such concerns, we will seek appropriate guidance about warnings, presentation or removal rather than assume a single rule applies to everyone. Please tell us about a cultural concern using the contact details below; you need not disclose restricted knowledge to explain it. An Acknowledgement of Country does not imply community endorsement of our service or a listed business.
5. Accessibility of our website and service
We aim to make the directory usable by people with disability, including people with physical, sensory, cognitive, intellectual, neurological, psychosocial and non-visible disabilities. Our accessibility work is guided by WCAG 2.2 Level AA and the Australian Human Rights Commission's guidance on equal access to digital goods and services. This is a design and improvement target, not a claim that the whole site has been independently audited or certified as conformant.
Our priorities include meaningful headings and links, keyboard operation and visible focus, readable contrast and text, useful alternative text for images, labelled forms and understandable error messages, and layouts that work with zoom and smaller screens. We aim to avoid relying only on colour, images or precise pointer movements to convey information or complete a task.
If you encounter a barrier, email hello@pridecompass.com.au. Tell us the page or task affected and, if you wish, what would help. We will consider reasonable adjustments and work with you on a practical alternative, such as providing the information by email or helping with a submission. You do not need to supply a diagnosis to report a barrier. A support person may contact us on your behalf. An alternative method of access is not a substitute for addressing avoidable website barriers.
6. Venue and event accessibility information
We encourage operators to provide specific access information: step-free routes, entrance and doorway limitations, accessible toilets, seating, hearing or communication support, lighting and sound conditions, sensory considerations, assistance-animal access and a contact for individual enquiries. “Accessible” is not a guarantee that a space meets every person's requirements.
Information should describe the actual event space as well as the venue. A venue's access features, age policy or other conditions are not automatically inherited by an event held there. We aim to distinguish confirmed information from information not yet supplied. An absent label does not mean that access is unavailable.
Assistance animals are not the same as pets. A “no pets” or dog-friendly label does not determine a person's rights relating to an assistance animal. Operators must apply relevant disability law rather than rely on our pet labels. Requests for evidence or conditions of entry must themselves comply with applicable law.
Contact the venue or organiser to confirm arrangements important to your visit. This practical advice does not transfer an operator's legal obligations to you. We do not inspect every premises or certify legal compliance, and our listings cannot guarantee safety or access. Please report incorrect or misleading access information so we can review it.
7. Community-specific spaces and listing standards
Some listings serve a particular community or purpose, such as LGBTQIA+ support, Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander community services, youth activities, women-focused services or trans-led groups. Community focus alone is not a reason for exclusion from the directory. Any entry restrictions or eligibility conditions should be described accurately and applied lawfully; we may seek clarification before publishing them.
We may refuse or remove misleading inclusion claims, discriminatory material or content incompatible with the directory's purpose. We consider context and credible information rather than treating an unverified allegation as an established fact. “LGBTQ+ welcoming”, “community recommended”, a claimed listing or a paid tier is not certification of every staff member's conduct or every visitor's experience.
8. Reporting concerns and our response
Email hello@pridecompass.com.au with the listing or page URL, what happened or is inaccurate, and the outcome you seek. Include only information you are comfortable sharing. For privacy or unwanted disclosure of identity information, use privacy@pridecompass.com.au. Let us know if a particular communication format or adjustment would help.
We aim to acknowledge reports within five working days and provide an update or response within 30 days. Complex matters may take longer; where we have contact details, we will explain delays. We will review the available information and may seek clarification, correct content, request an operator response, add relevant context, or temporarily restrict or remove a listing. Urgent safety or privacy concerns may require action before a full review.
We will limit sharing of personal information to what is reasonably needed and lawful, discuss sensitive disclosures where appropriate, and will not promise absolute confidentiality where legal obligations require disclosure. We do not tolerate retaliation through our service against someone raising a concern in good faith. If you disagree with our decision, you may ask us to reconsider and provide further information.
You do not have to complete our process before seeking external advice or making a complaint. The Australian Human Rights Commission and state or territory anti-discrimination bodies can explain relevant complaint options. Applicable procedures and time limits vary. Our directory is not an emergency or law-enforcement service; in an emergency in Australia call 000.
9. Listening and improvement
We will review this policy as the service develops and respond to feedback from people with lived experience. We recognise that inclusion requires ongoing work, not a guarantee that mistakes or barriers will never occur. Updates will be published here with a revised effective date. This policy does not restrict statutory protections or replace an operator's legal responsibilities.