Notice and takedown policy

Local Australia publishes business listings compiled from public sources, content submitted by owners, reviews reproduced from Google and our own guides. This policy explains what you can report, how, what we do with a report and how fast, and how to answer a report about content you posted.

Effective 15 September 2026.

1. What this policy covers

All content on the site (“content”): business listings and their descriptions, opening hours and contact details, photos, reviews shown on listing pages, category and place pages, keyword pages, blog posts, comments and user profiles. Reviews reflect their authors’ opinions; we do not verify every claim and do not treat them as statements of fact.

2. What can be reported

2.1 Wrong or outdated information

A business that has closed, moved or changed its name, hours or phone number; a duplicate; a listing in the wrong category or place. This is the most common report and the quickest to fix.

2.2 Content that is unlawful

• infringes copyright, trademark or other intellectual property;
• violates personality or privacy rights, or publishes personal data (a private phone number, home address, photo of a person without consent);
• is defamatory, or presents serious false accusations as fact;
• incites hatred or violence, or violates human dignity or the protection of children;
• promotes criminal or dangerous activity, or is pornographic.

2.3 Content that breaks our rules

• Abuse: threats, harassment or personal attacks on owners, staff or readers. Negative opinions are allowed; attacks on people are not;
• Fake or manipulated content: listings for businesses that do not exist, keyword-stuffed names, bought or coordinated reviews;
• Spam: content that exists mainly to advertise, link or promote;
• Misleading or harmful information: content that could seriously mislead about safety or legality without factual basis;
• Impersonation: a listing or account managed by someone who does not represent the business.

3. How to report

email us with the subject “Report”, or use the claim form on the listing if you are the owner. A useful report contains:

• the URL of the page and, for reviews or photos, which one;
• the reason, chosen from section 2, and the facts that support it;
• for intellectual-property reports: what you own, proof you own it or act for the owner, and a statement made in good faith that the use is not authorised;
• your name and an e-mail address we can reply to.

Reports must be accurate and made in good faith. Anonymous reports about wrong hours or closed businesses are fine; legal reports need a real name.

Reviews and photos from Google. Reviews and photos on listing pages are reproduced from Google Maps. We can hide them on Local Australia within the timelines below, but the original stays on Google until Google acts; report it there too using Google’s own tools.

4. Review process and timelines

1. Logged. Every report gets a reference and an acknowledgement by e-mail within 2 working days.
2. Assessed on content, context and the applicable law or rule. Obvious cases (closed business, private phone number, clear copyright) are handled within 2 working days; we aim to decide every report within 7 working days. Complex or legally sensitive cases may take longer, and we will tell you.
3. Interim measures. Where harm is likely, we may hide, restrict or label the content while we review. This is precautionary and not a decision.
4. Decision and notice. We e-mail the reporter and, where we can reach them, the person who posted the content, with a short statement of reasons.

5. What we may do

Proportionately to the seriousness of the case: correct or update information, remove or hide content, restrict editing rights, revoke a verification, suspend or terminate an account, or in serious or repeated cases exclude a business or person from the site permanently. Repeat infringers lose their accounts. We balance freedom of expression, the safety of readers, fairness to businesses and our legal obligations.

6. If your content was reported

If we remove or restrict something you submitted, you can reply to the notice within 14 days with your side and any evidence. We review the reply and confirm, reverse or adjust the decision by e-mail. For intellectual-property removals you may send a counter-notice stating, in good faith, that the content was removed by mistake or misidentification; we may restore it after 10 working days unless the complainant tells us they have started legal proceedings.

7. Misuse of reporting

Using reports to retaliate, to suppress lawful negative opinions, to mass-report a competitor or to influence rankings is prohibited. Where we find misuse we may ignore further reports from the source, suspend the account or, in severe or repeated cases, close it.

8. Disclaimer

We host and compile content and do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Moderation decisions are not legal judgments and do not imply endorsement of what stays or of what goes. Reporting content does not guarantee its removal. Nothing here limits rights or duties that the law does not allow us to exclude.

9. Contact

Reports and legal notices: email us.