Terms of Use
Australian Newsagents’ Federation
Trading as Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (ALNA) and Local Retailers Australia (LRA)
ABN: 14 008 295 038
Last revised: May 2025
Applies to: www.alna.net.au, www.localretailers.au, and the Local Retailers Hub (www.localretailershub.com.au)
Governing law: Queensland, Australia – Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), Spam Act 2003 (Cth), and other applicable Australian law
1. Introduction and Acceptance
1.1 The Contract
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the websites, platforms, and digital services operated by the Australian Newsagents’ Federation (ABN 14 008 295 038) trading as the Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association (“ALNA”) and Local Retailers Australia (“LRA”) (together referred to as “we”, “us”, or “our”). These services include:
www.alna.net.au – our primary public website
www.localretailers.au – our Local Retailers Australia website
www.localretailershub.com.au – the Local Retailers Hub, our member portal (“the Hub”)
Associated digital services, member communications, and online features
By clicking “Join Now”, “Register”, or any similar button, or by accessing or using any of our services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you must not use our services.
These Terms form a legally binding contract between you and ALNA/LRA. If you are using our services on behalf of a business or organisation, you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that entity to these Terms.
These Terms should be read together with our Privacy Policy, which governs the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information.
1.2 Who We Are
You are entering into this contract with the Australian Newsagents’ Federation (trading as Australian Lottery and Newsagents Association and Local Retailers Australia), which is the controller of personal data collected through our services. ALNA is an industry association representing newsagents, lottery retailers, and local retailers across Australia.
1.3 Users and Members
A “Member” is a person or business entity holding a current paid membership with ALNA or LRA. A “User” is any person who accesses our websites or the Hub, whether or not they hold a membership. Some features of our services are available only to Members.
1.4 Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our services, applicable law, or our operating practices. Where we make material changes, we will notify you by email or by a prominent notice within the Hub before the changes take effect. Your continued use of our services after notification constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not accept the changes, you may terminate your account in accordance with section 8. Changes will not apply retrospectively.
2. Account Registration and Obligations
2.1 Account Registration
To access member-only features of our services, including the Local Retailers Hub, you must register and create an account. When registering, you agree to:
Provide accurate, complete, and current information
Keep your account information up to date, including your contact details (email address and mobile number)
Use your real identity and business details – you must not create a false or misleading profile
Create only one account per business entity, unless expressly permitted by us
2.2 Account Security
You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials. You agree to:
Choose a strong password and keep it confidential
Not share your account credentials with any other person
Not transfer or assign your account to another person without our written consent
Notify us immediately at membership@alna.net.au if you suspect any unauthorised access to or use of your account
We will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with these security obligations.
2.3 Notices and Communications
You agree that we may send you notices, service-related communications, and information relevant to your membership or use of our services through:
Notices posted within the Hub or on our websites
Email to the address registered on your account
SMS to the mobile number registered on your account
Post to your registered business address
It is your responsibility to keep your contact details current. We are not responsible for any loss resulting from your failure to receive notices because your contact information is out of date.
Commercial electronic messages (including email and SMS) will be sent only with your consent and will include a functional unsubscribe mechanism, in accordance with the Spam Act 2003 (Cth). You may opt out of marketing communications at any time without affecting your receipt of service-related communications necessary for membership administration.
2.4 Membership Fees and Payments
If you hold a paid membership or purchase any paid services, you agree to the following:
You will pay all applicable membership fees and charges, including any applicable GST, by the due date
For subscription memberships, your nominated payment method will be charged automatically at the start of each renewal period unless you cancel before the renewal date
You may cancel your subscription at any time; cancellation will take effect at the end of the then-current billing period
We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to member services if fees are unpaid
All fees are in Australian dollars (AUD)
Invoices are available through your ALNA account profile
Refunds are subject to our Refund Policy, available on request. Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you may have under the Australian Consumer Law in relation to refunds.
3. Acceptable Use of Our Services
3.1 Permitted Use
Our services are provided for the purpose of member communications, industry information sharing, community engagement, and access to ALNA and LRA resources. You agree to use our services only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.
3.2 What You Must Do
When using our services, you agree to:
Comply with all applicable laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), Spam Act 2003 (Cth), Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), Australian Consumer Law, and all other relevant legislation
Use the services in a professional and respectful manner consistent with the interests of the wider ALNA and LRA membership community
Ensure that any information or content you provide is accurate and not misleading
Respect the intellectual property rights of ALNA, LRA, and other users
Keep your account contact information current
3.3 What You Must Not Do
You must not, and must not attempt to:
Create a false identity, misrepresent your identity or business, or use another person’s account
Post or share content that is defamatory, offensive, discriminatory, threatening, harassing, or otherwise unlawful
Use our services to send unsolicited commercial communications (spam), including mass emails or SMS messages, without appropriate consent
Upload, post, or transmit any content that contains viruses, malware, or other harmful or disruptive code
Scrape, crawl, or use automated means to extract data or content from our websites or the Hub without our written consent
Circumvent or attempt to circumvent any security, access control, or technical measure protecting our services
Reverse engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive source code from our platforms or technology
Use our services in a way that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair our systems or infrastructure
Copy, redistribute, or commercially exploit our content, training materials, templates, or resources without our written consent
Use the ALNA or LRA name, logo, or trademarks without our express written consent
Represent that you are affiliated with or endorsed by ALNA or LRA without our express written consent
Monetise or resell access to our services or member resources without our written consent
3.4 Community Features – Ask the Community and Discussion Forums
The Local Retailers Hub includes community features, including the “Ask the Community” function and discussion forums. These features are provided to enable members to connect, share information, and support one another. When using community features, you agree:
To use them only for purposes consistent with the ALNA and LRA community, including asking questions, sharing experiences, and providing peer support relevant to running a retail business
Not to use community features to promote or advertise products or services (unless expressly permitted in a designated area)
Not to post content that is unrelated to the ALNA or LRA community purpose
Not to bully, abuse, harass, or make personal attacks on any member or individual
Not to post content that a reasonable person would find offensive, inappropriate, or contrary to the spirit of a professional industry community
We reserve the right to remove any content that breaches these standards without notice. Repeated or serious breaches may result in suspension or termination of your account.
3.5 Your Content
You retain ownership of content and information you submit or post to our services. By submitting content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, and display that content for the purposes of operating and improving our services and communicating with our membership community. This licence continues for the period reasonably necessary to remove the content from all systems following deletion.
You represent and warrant that:
You have all necessary rights to submit the content
The content does not infringe the intellectual property rights or other rights of any third party
The content does not contain personal information about third parties unless you have their consent
The content is accurate and not misleading
We will not use your content in third-party advertising without your separate consent. We reserve the right to remove or decline to publish any content without notice.
4. Our Intellectual Property
All intellectual property rights in our websites, the Hub, and their content (including text, images, logos, templates, guides, training materials, data compilations, and software) are owned by or licensed to ALNA and LRA. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right to use our intellectual property except as expressly permitted.
You may view, download, and print content from our services for your own personal or internal business use as a member. You must not:
Copy, reproduce, or republish our content for commercial purposes without written consent
Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices
Use our content to create derivative works for distribution outside our services
ALNA, LRA, “Local Retailers Australia”, and related logos and marks are trademarks of the Australian Newsagents’ Federation. Third-party trademarks referenced on our services are the property of their respective owners.
5. Third-Party Websites, Content, and Services
Our websites and the Hub may contain links to third-party websites, services, and content. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, privacy practices, or terms of those third-party services. Links do not imply our endorsement of those services.
We may facilitate connections between members and third-party service providers, industry partners, or event organisers. We do not supervise, endorse, or take responsibility for services offered by third parties, and we are not a party to any arrangement between you and a third party. Any dealings with third parties are at your own risk.
If you attend events facilitated through or listed on our services, you acknowledge that ALNA and LRA are not responsible for the conduct of event organisers or other attendees, and have not vetted or endorsed those events.
6. Privacy and Data Protection
Your personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which forms part of this agreement and is incorporated by reference. Our Privacy Policy explains:
What personal information we collect and how
The purposes for which we use personal information
When and with whom we share personal information
How we protect personal information
Your rights to access, correct, and delete your information
Our services use cookies and similar tracking technologies. By using our websites and the Hub, you consent to our use of cookies as described in our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.
We comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) as amended by the Privacy and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 (Cth), and the Australian Privacy Principles. Where you provide us with personal information about third parties (for example, employee details submitted through our Employment Advisory Service), you warrant that you have authority to provide that information and have notified those individuals of our Privacy Policy.
7. Liability and Disclaimers
7.1 Australian Consumer Law
Our services come with consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law (Schedule 2 to the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth)) that cannot be excluded. Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude, restrict, or modify those guarantees or any other rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law.
To the extent permitted by law, where our services are not supplied to you as a consumer under the Australian Consumer Law, our liability for a failure to comply with a statutory guarantee is limited to:
In the case of services: the cost of re-supplying the services or the cost of having the services re-supplied
7.2 Disclaimer of Warranties
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, AND SUBJECT ALWAYS TO SECTION 7.1, ALNA AND LRA PROVIDE OUR SERVICES ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT OUR SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE FROM VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. WE DO NOT WARRANT THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, OR SUITABILITY FOR ANY PURPOSE OF ANY CONTENT OR INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH OUR SERVICES.
Information and resources provided through our services (including employment advice, regulatory guidance, and industry commentary) are provided for general informational purposes only and do not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. You should seek independent professional advice before acting on any information obtained through our services.
7.3 Limitation of Liability
SUBJECT TO SECTION 7.1 AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY THE AUSTRALIAN CONSUMER LAW AND OTHER APPLICABLE LAW, ALNA AND LRA AND THEIR OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR:
Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive loss or damage of any kind
Loss of profits, revenue, business opportunity, or anticipated savings
Loss of data or damage to data
Damage to reputation or goodwill
To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability to you for any claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms or our services is limited to the greater of: (a) the total membership fees paid by you to us in the 12 months preceding the claim; or (b) AUD $500. This limitation does not apply to liability for death or personal injury, fraud, or liability which cannot be limited by law.
Note: The $500 liability cap does not apply to consumer guarantee claims under the Australian Consumer Law, or to any other liability that cannot be limited by law.
7.4 Service Availability
We do not guarantee that our services will be available at all times. We may suspend, modify, or discontinue any aspect of our services for maintenance, updates, or other operational reasons. We will endeavour to provide advance notice of planned outages where practicable, but accept no liability for unavailability of services.
8. Suspension and Termination
8.1 Termination by You
You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at membership@alna.net.au or by following the account closure process in the Hub. On termination, your right to access member-only services ceases. Any fees paid prior to termination are non-refundable except as required by the Australian Consumer Law.
8.2 Suspension or Termination by Us
We may suspend or terminate your access to our services (in whole or in part), with or without notice, if:
You breach these Terms or our acceptable use standards
You fail to pay membership fees when due
We reasonably believe your account or conduct poses a risk to other members, to us, or to the integrity of our services
Required by law or by a regulator
We cease to operate or substantially change the relevant service
Where we terminate your access without cause, we will provide reasonable notice and a pro-rata refund of any prepaid fees for the unused period, except where termination is required by law.
8.3 Effect of Termination
On termination of your account, the following provisions survive: sections 3.5 (Your Content licence, to the extent of content shared with others), 4 (Intellectual Property), 7 (Liability), 9 (Dispute Resolution), and 10 (General Terms). Any amounts outstanding at the time of termination remain payable.
9. Dispute Resolution
9.1 Internal Resolution
We encourage you to contact us in the first instance if you have a concern or complaint about our services or these Terms. Please email membership@alna.net.au with a clear description of your concern. We aim to respond within 10 business days and resolve complaints in good faith.
9.2 Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia, excluding conflict of laws rules. You and we agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland for resolution of any dispute that cannot be resolved by the parties directly.
Nothing in this section deprives you of any mandatory consumer protection rights you may have under applicable law.
9.3 Legal Notices
Any formal legal notices under these Terms must be sent to us in writing at the address in section 11. Notices sent by email to membership@alna.net.au will be accepted for general correspondence but formal legal notices (including notices of dispute) should be addressed to our registered office.
10. General Terms
If any provision of these Terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, that provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable, or severed if it cannot be modified, without affecting the validity of the remaining provisions.
These Terms (together with our Privacy Policy and any supplementary terms applicable to specific services) constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding your use of our services, and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.
Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms at any time does not constitute a waiver of our right to enforce that provision in the future.
You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms to an affiliate or to a successor entity in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, without your consent.
There are no third-party beneficiaries to these Terms.
11. Contact Us
For questions about these Terms, complaints about content, or any other enquiries, please contact us:
Phone: +61 2 9978 3400
Email: membership@alna.net.au
Post: Australian Newsagents’ Federation T/as Australian Lottery and Newsagents’ Association and Local Retailers Australia Level 1, Suite 1.9, 56 Delhi Road, North Ryde NSW 2113
Legal notices: Level 1, Suite 1.9, 56 Delhi Road, North Ryde NSW 2113
ABN: 14 008 295 038