Fees, Refunds & Cancellations Policy

This policy sets out how AusISA sets fees, and the terms for payment, refunds, credits, and cancellations, across all AusISA activities.

This policy applies to all AusISA activities, including trainings and workshops, certification courses, events, competitions and CTFs, and gated or vetted courses.

This policy applies to all paying participants and any person or organisation AusISA invoices for an activity, service, or related charge.

This policy does not govern facilitator or contractor payment terms, which are set out in the relevant engagement agreement.

This policy does not govern conduct matters, which are set out in the Participant Conduct Policy and Facilitator Conduct Policy, and does not govern complaints or appeals, which are set out in the Complaints & Appeals Handling Policy.

This policy applies from booking or enrolment through to activity completion, and to post-delivery financial matters, including supplementary assessments, re-sits, refunds, and credit expiry.

This policy is to be read in conjunction with the Terms of Service, Participant Handbook, Participant Vetting Policy, Assessment Policy, Complaints & Appeals Handling Policy, Privacy Policy, and Record Management Policy.

If this policy conflicts with a more specific AusISA policy, the more specific policy applies to the extent of the inconsistency.

This policy operates subject to the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in this policy excludes, restricts, or modifies any consumer guarantee that cannot lawfully be excluded.

AusISA does not accept enrolment or payment directly from a person under 18 years of age. A parent, guardian, or other legally authorised representative must make and confirm the booking, and applicable Commonwealth, state, and territory law prevails over this policy to the extent of any inconsistency.

Participant means a person who enrols in, books into, attends, or otherwise participates in an AusISA activity in a receiving capacity.

Facilitator means a person contractually engaged by AusISA to deliver or support an AusISA activity.

Cohort means a scheduled intake, class, or group of participants enrolled in the same AusISA activity.

Session means a scheduled teaching, assessment, event, competition, or other delivery instance forming part of an AusISA activity.

AusISA Administration means the personnel authorised by AusISA to manage bookings, invoicing, refunds, credits, cancellations, and related financial administration.

Course Fee means the fee charged for participation in an AusISA activity, including any mandatory enrolment or registration charge.

Supplementary Assessment Fee means a fee charged for an additional assessment attempt, reassessment, or similar post-delivery assessment service.

Re-sit means a further attempt at a session, assessment, or exam under the same enrolment, where permitted by AusISA.

Re-take means a new enrolment in a session, course, or activity after completion, failure, withdrawal, or cancellation of a prior enrolment.

Credit/Voucher means a non-cash value issued by AusISA that may be applied toward a future AusISA activity, subject to the terms of issue.

Concession means a reduced fee or preferential pricing arrangement approved by AusISA.

Viable Session means a session that has met AusISA's minimum participant threshold of 6 confirmed participants (P-005), unless AusISA specifies otherwise for the relevant activity.

Third-Party Payer means a person or organisation other than the participant who pays or is invoiced for all or part of the applicable fee.

No-show means a participant's failure to attend a session, assessment, event, or other booked activity without prior cancellation in accordance with this policy.

Confirmed Booking means a booking or enrolment that has been accepted by AusISA, including where payment has been received or an invoice has been issued, and the booking has not been cancelled.

Cancellation Cut-off means the final time and date by which a cancellation must be received to qualify for any refund, credit, or other remedy under this policy.

AusISA sets fees with regard to accessibility and affordability, having regard to the expected audience for the relevant activity.

AusISA sets fees fairly and applies standardised pricing where practicable.

AusISA sets fees on a proportionate basis, having regard to the cost of designing, delivering, administering, and sustaining the relevant activity.

AusISA is transparent about pricing: fees and material terms are published before booking or enrolment where reasonably practicable, and the GST treatment of every fee is stated.

AusISA sets fees so activities can be delivered on a financially sustainable basis.

AusISA Administration must prepare fee proposals, fee changes, and related pricing arrangements for approval.

The authorised AusISA decision-maker must approve fees, fee changes, discounts, concessions, and hardship requests, and must approve refunds and credits.

A second approver must approve any refund or credit above the threshold set by AusISA.

The relevant course owner must monitor enrolments and decide whether a session is viable, and must notify AusISA Administration by the decision deadline in section 8 if a session is not viable.

Complaints and appeals about fees, refunds, credits, or cancellations are dealt with under the Complaints & Appeals Handling Policy.

AusISA may set fees for any activity having regard to the principles in section 4 and the cost of delivering that activity. For specialist activities, AusISA may also take into account the expected cohort, including where the expected participants are independent or sole practitioners.

Fees may be based on one or more of the following cost components: venue hire; facilitator and course owner costs, including content development, delivery, assessment marking, administration, and maintenance of course currency; virtual environment hosting and administration; catering; insurance; and administration.

The Course Fee includes one delivery of the relevant course or activity. For assessed courses, the Course Fee includes one attempt at adjudicated assessment and the automatic moderation described in the Assessment Policy. For non-assessed workshops, events, competitions, and similar activities, no assessment is included unless the relevant activity information states otherwise.

Supplementary assessments, re-sits, re-takes, and candidate-requested third moderations may attract additional fees. Any such fee is stated, or quoted to the participant, before the service is provided.

AusISA must apply standardised pricing where practicable and must not use surge pricing or fill-the-room discounting.

AusISA may offer discounts or concessions, including a discounted fee for returning IRAP assessors, on terms published by AusISA or notified to the participant before booking. A discount applies only to the Course Fee, and does not apply to supplementary assessments, unless AusISA states otherwise.

AusISA may update fees at any time. A fee change takes effect no earlier than 30 days after it is published (P-019), applies only to future bookings, and does not affect Confirmed Bookings. The fee applicable at the time of a Confirmed Booking applies to that booking.

Fees are payable in Australian dollars, and the GST treatment of each fee is stated at the point of sale.

Where a third party or employer pays for a booking, the person or organisation named on the invoice is liable for payment unless AusISA agrees otherwise in writing. Unless AusISA agrees otherwise in writing, any refund for a third-party funded booking is payable to the person or organisation that paid AusISA.

AusISA may permit group or cohort bookings (5 or more participants from a single organisation) on terms published for the relevant activity or agreed in writing with the organisation. Group booking enquiries are made to courses@ausinfosec.academy.

AusISA may offer a hardship pathway for eligible participants who cannot meet the applicable fee. Applications are made in writing to courses@ausinfosec.academy, are assessed case by case, and are generally only available for sessions that have already reached the Viable Session threshold.

AusISA may permit transfer of a Confirmed Booking to another named person from the same organisation at no charge, where the request is made at least 7 days before the session start and the incoming person meets all eligibility and vetting requirements for the activity.

A place in an AusISA activity is not confirmed until AusISA has received payment, or the required deposit, unless AusISA agrees otherwise in writing.

Payment must be made by the due date stated at booking, on the invoice, or in the relevant activity terms.

AusISA accepts payment by credit or debit card (processed by our payment provider at booking) and by invoice. Invoice terms are stated on the invoice.

If AusISA requires a deposit, the amount and refundability of that deposit must be stated before booking.

Where a third party or employer is invoiced, the invoice must state the due date for payment.

If payment is not received by the due date, AusISA may cancel the booking and offer the place to another participant.

For gated or vetted courses, the participant must provide the prerequisite evidence required by AusISA at the time of booking or as otherwise directed by AusISA. Payment for a gated or vetted course is taken at the time of booking, unless AusISA states otherwise.

If AusISA determines that a participant does not meet the published or required eligibility criteria for a gated or vetted course, AusISA must refund the participant in full, subject to any non-refundable transaction costs expressly disclosed before booking.

A session is a Viable Session only if it has at least 6 confirmed participants (P-005), unless AusISA states a different threshold for the relevant activity. AusISA must consider viability when deciding whether to approve a participant cancellation, issue a refund or credit, or cancel or reschedule a session.

If a participant cancels a Confirmed Booking more than 2 weeks before the session date (P-006), AusISA must refund the Course Fee paid for that booking, subject to clause 8.9.

If a participant cancels a Confirmed Booking within 2 weeks before the session date, AusISA may offer a Credit/Voucher instead of a cash refund if the session remains Viable.

If a participant cancels a Confirmed Booking and that cancellation would cause the session to fall below the Viable Session threshold, AusISA may retain the payment for that booking and offer a Credit/Voucher for a future session instead of a cash refund.

If a participant does not attend a booked session, assessment, event, or other activity (a No-show), no refund is payable.

If a participant withdraws partway through a delivered course, no refund is payable once delivery has started, unless AusISA approves an exception for exceptional circumstances.

AusISA may approve a refund or Credit/Voucher outside the standard cancellation rules if the participant provides evidence of medical, compassionate, or other exceptional circumstances accepted by AusISA.

If AusISA cancels a session, AusISA must offer the participant a full refund, a Credit/Voucher, or transfer to a future session, at the participant's choice unless AusISA states otherwise for the relevant activity.

AusISA may retain or exclude non-refundable third-party charges, including certification-body fees or exam fees paid to a third party, and the value of materials already issued, to the extent those charges were disclosed before booking and are not recoverable.

AusISA must decide whether a session is Viable by the decision date stated in the published information for the relevant activity, so contracted facilitators receive reasonable notice.

Facilitator compensation for a cancelled session is governed by the relevant engagement agreement and not by this policy.

AusISA may cancel or reschedule a session because of insufficient numbers, facilitator unavailability, venue loss, safety concerns, or force majeure.

A Credit/Voucher issued under this policy must state its validity period, whether it is transferable, whether it is single-use, and what happens if it expires. Unless AusISA states otherwise, a Credit/Voucher is not redeemable for cash and expires at the end of its validity period.

If a session is rescheduled by AusISA, AusISA may transfer the participant's booking to the new date. If the participant cannot attend the new date, AusISA must offer a refund or Credit/Voucher.

If a participant cancels 3 or more Confirmed Bookings within a 6-month period (P-017), AusISA may charge a reasonable administration fee, require full prepayment for future bookings, or decline further bookings, to recover genuine administration cost and prevent unnecessary administrative burden.

AusISA must process any approved refund to the original payment method, where practicable, within 10 business days after approval (P-007). AusISA may vary the refund method where the original payment method is no longer available or where law requires a different method.

If a cancellation or rescheduling results from circumstances outside the reasonable control of AusISA, including force majeure, AusISA may offer a refund, Credit/Voucher, or transfer to a future session, having regard to what is reasonably practicable in the circumstances.

Complaints, disputes, and appeals about fees, refunds, credits, cancellations, or related decisions are handled under the Complaints & Appeals Handling Policy.

AusISA Administration records all fee approvals, refunds, credits, and cancellation decisions in accordance with the Record Management Policy.

Refund and credit decisions above the set threshold require a second approver, and approval records are auditable.

Any exception to this policy must be approved in writing by the authorised AusISA decision-maker before it is relied upon, and will be recorded with the reason for the exception. No exception may reduce a consumer's rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

Terms of Service (GOV-014); Participant Handbook (GOV-001); Participant Vetting Policy (GOV-011); Assessment Policy (GOV-004); Complaints & Appeals Handling Policy (GOV-005); Privacy Policy (GOV-013); Record Management Policy (GOV-006).

Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2, Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)); A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 (Cth).

This policy is reviewed at least every 12 months (P-016), and earlier where a legal change, pricing change, or continuous-improvement finding warrants an out-of-cycle review.