Participant Handbook

Welcome to the Australian Information Security Academy. This handbook is your introduction to how AusISA operates: the values we hold ourselves to, the policies that govern our courses and events, and how to find the right answer when you have a question or a problem.

AusISA is a sovereign Australian training academy founded by Redacted Information Security and Malware Security. We deliver practitioner-led cyber security training, including the IRAP Assessor Training Course as an ASD-endorsed training provider, along with events, competitions, and specialist activities.

This handbook, and the policies it indexes, apply to every AusISA activity. By enrolling in a course or taking part in an activity, you agree to the policies that apply to it.

Integrity. Our courses lead to real professional outcomes: endorsements, certifications, careers. Those outcomes are only worth something if the training and assessment behind them are honest. We hold ourselves, our facilitators, and our participants to that standard.

Fairness and equal access. Every participant gets the same opportunity to learn, the same access to information, and the same treatment in assessment. Where one participant receives a clarification, the whole cohort receives it.

Respect and safety. Everyone involved in an AusISA activity (participants, facilitators, staff, and venue hosts) is entitled to a safe, professional, and respectful environment, in person and online.

Practitioner currency. We teach contemporary practice, taught by people who do the work. Our content tracks the current versions of the frameworks it covers, and we continuously improve it, including from your feedback.

Capability with responsibility. Much of what we teach is powerful. We teach it so Australia's security community can defend and operate lawfully and well, and we expect it to be used that way.

Transparency. We are upfront about how we operate. Fees are published before you book, policies are public and numbered, vetting criteria are stated, and when we make a decision that affects you, we tell you the reason.

Each policy in this handbook is numbered: sections are numbered (1, 2, 3 …) and every paragraph within a section is numbered (2.1, 2.2 …). When you contact us about a policy matter, cite the clause number; it lets us give you a precise answer quickly.

Read the relevant policy first. Most questions (about refunds, assessment marking, conduct expectations, or your records) are answered directly in the policy, usually with the timeframes and steps involved. The directory in section 4 tells you which policy covers what.

If the policy doesn't answer your question, or you think it has been applied wrongly in your case, reach out. We would much rather hear from you early than have a concern go unraised. Section 5 lists the right contact for each kind of issue.

Policies interact. Where two policies could apply, the more specific policy wins to the extent of any inconsistency, and each policy's 'Scope and Application' section tells you where it hands off to another. Cross-references are linked throughout.

Every policy operates subject to Australian law. Nothing in any AusISA policy removes a right or remedy that the law gives you and does not allow to be excluded, including your rights under the Australian Consumer Law.

Participant Conduct Policy: the standards of behaviour expected of you in any AusISA activity: how to treat others, what is prohibited, academic and competitive integrity, and what happens when standards are not met. Read this first; it applies to everyone, in every activity.

Facilitator Conduct Policy: the standards we hold our facilitators to: fairness and equal access in the classroom, impartiality, professional communication, confidentiality, and the limits on their conduct. Read this if you want to know what you are entitled to expect from the person at the front of the room.

Assessment Policy: how assessments are run, invigilated, marked, and moderated; the rules on cheating and plagiarism; when AI tools are and aren't permitted; and your entitlement to automatic moderation of your results, plus how to request a further moderation.

Complaints & Appeals Handling Policy: how to raise a complaint or appeal a decision, the timeframes we commit to, the protections you have (confidentiality, no retaliation), and the external avenues that remain open to you.

Record Management Policy: what records we keep about you, for how long, how they are protected, and how to request a copy of your own records, including the limited circumstances where released records may be sanitised.

Fees, Refunds & Cancellations Policy: how fees are set, when payment is due, what happens when you cancel (and when we do), refunds, credits, transfers, and hardship arrangements.

Ethical Use Policy: your obligation to use what we teach lawfully and ethically. Much of our content is dual-use; this policy is the line between professional capability and misuse.

Participant Vetting Policy: when and how participants are vetted for courses and events, what vetting can and cannot lawfully be based on, and your right to a clear reason if a vetting decision goes against you.

Continuous Improvement Policy: our commitment to keeping courses current and correct, and how to report errors, issues, or vulnerabilities. Such reports are genuinely welcome, and a reporting form is provided on the policy page.

Privacy Policy: how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information, and your rights under the Privacy Act and the Australian Privacy Principles.

Terms of Service: the overarching terms on which we provide our courses, websites, and learning platform, incorporating the policies above.

For course logistics, bookings, eligibility, vetting, and general questions: courses@ausinfosec.academy.

For complaints and appeals: courses@ausinfosec.academy (see the Complaints & Appeals Handling Policy first; it tells you what to include and what happens next).

For privacy matters and requests for your records: privacy@ausinfosec.academy.

For reporting errors, issues, or vulnerabilities in training or content: the report form on the Continuous Improvement Policy page, or courses@ausinfosec.academy.

For anything else: admin@ausinfosec.academy.

Whatever the issue, please read the relevant policy before reaching out; it will usually tell you exactly what to do, what to include, and what timeframe to expect. And if something in a policy seems wrong or unclear, tell us: the Continuous Improvement Policy exists for exactly that.