We encourage readers to contribute to public discourse through our comments section. We take our responsibilities seriously and strive to ensure it is a civil and constructive debate.
Please help us to create an enlightened and intelligent discussion.
Below are guidelines that help inform our approach to comment moderation, and we expect participants to abide by. These guidelines apply across Fairfax websites, however the context in which comments are made is also taken into consideration.
All comments are pre-moderated by staff before being published. It is Fairfax policy not to edit comments, but only to accept or refuse them.
As there are thousands of comments on this site every day, we can't enter into discussions with every individual about why comments were not published.
If you wish to report a comment that has been published and you feel is inappropriate, please contact Readerlink@smh.com.au.
Guidelines:
We realise readers may feel strongly about the issues being debated, however any comments that can be reasonably considered offensive, threatening or obscene will not be allowed.
Do not post material that may incite violence or hatred. We will not tolerate comments that humiliate others based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, mental or physical disability, or sexual orientation.
We will acknowledge criticism of the articles or blogs we publish but persistent misrepresentation of Fairfax, or our authors will not be published.
Gratuitous abuse - be it of the author, subjects of the story or other commentators - will not be accepted. The general rule here is that comments should play the ball, not the man i.e. not attack someone personally but be about the issue at hand.
Any comments that are legally questionable, such as possible breaches of copyright or potentially defamatory material, will not be posted.
Please keep your comments relevant to the discussion at hand. Comments that stray too far off topic, are largely repetitive or do not add anything to the debate will not be posted.
Swear words are out, including leetspeak.
People who SHOUT, i.e. WRITE ALL IN CAPS, will not be allowed.
Do not use the comments section for commercial purposes or spam. Comments that advertise, promote or solicit any goods or services will not be accepted.
Please limit the use of links in comments. Comments containing links to unsuitable material will not be published.
Comments must be in English so readers can follow the debate.
Do not impersonate others in the comments section, or post personal details – phone numbers, postal or email addresses – that could inadvertently put someone in danger.
Only submit your comment once. Comments do not appear instantly. Submitting multiple versions of the same comment will only slow down the process.
- However, you retain responsibility for the comment and we reserve the right not to accede to requests to remove it.
- There is a limit of 300 words (=3000 characters) on a single comment.