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Some tips for getting the best from the ALP's website


Introduction

If you are having problems moving around our pages or finding what you're after, these notes should help. If you still encounter problems please email our editor and we will do whatever we can to assist.

Searching

Our site has a search function which is based on the use of key words or groups of words. Search allows a visitor to find what they want on the site and we have tailored the search to return information in useful categories.

To search for a single word, enter the word and click 'Go'. To search for a group of words, enter them separated by spaces and click 'Go'.

Navigation

The major navigation components are a horizontal navigation bar at the top of the page, a left hand persistent links menu, a "bread crumb" trail also at the top, and a series of feature icons on the right hand side. The horizontal navigation bar is repeated at the bottom of the page, and there may be "Back to the top" links within a page.

The top horizontal navigation bar

This bar provides access to the major sections of the site. In a Campaign , the key aspects of the site which visitors will want to access include:

  • Policy - What are the ALP Policies?
  • Candidates - Who are the ALP's Candidates?
  • Voting - How do I vote for the ALP?

There are additional access points on this menu to guide visitors to other key sections of the site.

The left hand side navigation menu

This menu provides access to persistent links on the site, and may repeat items in the top horizontal navigation bar. The persistent links include:

  • Contact - How to contact us via e-mail, telephone or postal mail.
  • Feedback - Where to post a comment online and sent it to us.
  • Donate - How to send a Donation - again.
  • Join - How you can join an ALP Branch in your State.
  • Help - Help on using this site (this page)

The bread crumb trail

This link bar is also at the top of the page, underneath the horizontal navigation bar. It will expand as you move through the site and down from the home page, providing details of the current directory and page title. The bar is clickable, allowing you to move back to any level of the site.

The right hand side features

The right hand side features include four special icons at the top for emailing a page to a friend, printing a page, viewing a text-only version of the site and book marking a page

An important section is the option to sign up for ALP e-News.

Other icons on the right hand side take visitors to particular feature pages, or links that may interest visitors to the site.

Email This Page To A FriendEmail GIF

An email this page to a friend icon appears on all pages of the site. This icon allows you to send the link of this page to a friend. This is a service and one which should only be used to send links to people you are confident will not object to receiving email of this kind from you.

PrintingPrint GIF

A printer friendly page icon appears on all pages of the site. This icon allows you to print the current page. Clicking on this icon will take you to a version of the current page which will print with no unnecessary HTML, using the full width of the page. Once you have printed the page it is necessary for you to use the back link or the back button on your browser to return to the original page.

Text Only SiteText.GIF

A Text only site icon appears on all pages of the site. Clicking on this icon will take you to a text only version of the site. This function should be particularly useful for people with slow or poor internet connections, older computers and browsers and to those with a disability who may be using a text only browser or a screen reader. Visitors will need to enable cookies in their browser to move between Text Only pages.

Book mark a pageBookmark.GIF

A Book mark the page icon appears on all pages of the site. This icon allows you to book mark a particular page so that it becomes a favourite.

Browser Compatibility

 This site has been designed using XHTML 1.0 Transitional markup and CSS. In 2004, this approach became the recommended web standard for designing websites which display in as wide a range of browsers as possible. Visitors using text only browsers should be able to navigate the site and view all content. However, they would be best to view the text only version of the site.

Credit Card Transactions - Security

 All credit card transactions take place on our secure server, which your browser should indicate. None of your personal details or your credit card number are held on our server. All details you provide, including your card type and number, will only be used for the particular transaction in question. None of these details will be disclosed to any third party except where it is legally required, such as in the investigation of a criminal offence, and in compliance with a search warrant or subpoena. The ALP uses security certificates from reputable authorities that can be checked in the usual way. You can be confident that none of your personal details or credit card number will be vulnerable to any security threat.

Downloading - PDF Documents

 A range of items and documents on the site can be downloaded. Many larger documents or documents that require the original format to be preserved, when printed, are provided as Adobe Acrobat PDFs. The file size will usually be indicated in the link description, along with an indication of the time the download will take.

The ALP uses a gateway page for downloads, so that clicking on a download link will not result in an application, such as Acrobat Reader, opening. Visitors on slow modem connections will appreciate this feature. The gateway page contains information on how to download the file in Internet Explorer, Opera, Netscape and Macintosh browsers. There is also information on how to obtain Adobe Acrobat, or any required viewer application.

Cookies

Cookies are used on this site for the Text Only display. We uses cookies to create sessions, and the per-session cookies are only required while you are on the site to move between text only pages. They are not stored on your hard drive or used in any way for your future site use. The per-session cookies will disappear once you are done using the site or your session has timed out. This use of cookies is consistent with making the site accessible to people with a requirement to view Text Only information. Different browsers approach allowing cookies in different ways and most browsers have information in their Help menus about enabling, or disabling, cookies on a per site basis or for all sites.

Tracking images

From time to time, the ALP may use tracking images. Tracking images (also known as "tracking pixels") are small, typically transparent images on a web page that have special names which permit the loading of the web page to be tracked by a web server. The information obtained from such images is not personally identifying and is only used in aggregate to assist the ALP in how it presents content to its visitors.

External Links

Clicking on an external link will in many cases open a [New window] in your browser, allowing you to browse the new site and, if you wish, easily return to our site by simply closing the new window.

Contacting the ALP

The contact details for the Australian Labor Party are: ALP National Secretariat
PO BOX 6222
KINGSTON ACT 2604
Phone: 02 6120 0800
Fax: 02 6120 0801
Email: info@cbr.alp.org.au
WWW: http://www.alp.org.au/

ALP State & Territory branches

Feedback

If you've got something to say, the ALP would like to know about it. If you have a suggestion, complaint, comment or anything else you would like to pass on to us, please use the feedback form. In addition, you can provide feedback directly to Labor's parliamentary team by using the email address which is present on each of their pages.

Problems

If you encounter problems that these notes do not overcome or if you have comments about how our site operates or could be improved, please email our editor

Legal Issues


Privacy

The ALP values protecting your privacy and in doing so follows current Australian best practice guidelines and the spirit and intent of the Privacy Act 1988 to ensure your privacy is protected.

Information provided by you

The content of e-mails or comments made in feedback or comment forms may be retained and passed on, along with your name and e-mail address, to the appropriate section of the ALP for consideration, a response and possible follow-up, if it is considered appropriate. Comments made via the Feedback page (http://www.alp.org.au/action/feedback.php) may also be published in accordance with the advice provided on that page. The information provided will not be used for any further purpose and your name and e-mail address will not be added to a mailing list unless specifically requested by you and that request is confirmed via response to an e-mail sent to the address provided.

Information provided by you as part of a credit card transaction will be handled by a secure server, which should be indicated by your browser. The information is not held on ALP Internet servers and is passed directly to the ALP's credit card transaction service provider in an encrypted form. The information will not be used for any other transaction or purpose or provided to any other third party.

Donations up to $1,500 to registered political parties may be tax deductible. Donations of over $10,500 will be subject to disclosure under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918. It is for this reason we make provision of personal details mandatory whilst making a donation.

Information provided by you in the course of completing an online petition will be passed on to the appropriate officer of the Australian Parliament, however, it will not be used by the ALP for any other purpose unless specifically requested by you.

All ALP Internet mailing lists use a double-opt-in process which requires a request and confirmation of the request for an e-mail address to be added to a mailing list. All e-mail and newsletters sent via automated mailing lists will clearly identify the ALP as the sender and will include a suitable method for unsubscribing. Unsubscribing from a list removes your personal details from the list and they are not retained. If a subscription request is received and it is not confirmed, the request and personal information contained in it will be removed from the ALP's records.

Information collected

As you browse the ALP's websites, its servers log some non-identifying data which is used for statistical purposes and improving the performance of the sites and how they are presented to you.

This data includes:

The time, date and IP address of the visitor
The browser used
The site last visited
The pages visited and items downloaded
The time spent on each page and total time spent on the site
The top level domain name and country of your Internet provider, e.g., com - org - au

Disclosure of information

Personal information provided to the ALP and information collected by the ALP will not be disclosed to any other third party except where it legally required, such as in the investigation of a criminal offence, and in compliance with a search warrant or subpoena.

In the case of credit card transactions, the IP address of the visitor may be recorded, however, this information will not be used or disclosed except where it is legally required, such as in the investigation of a criminal offence, and in compliance with a search warrant or subpoena.

Security of the information collected

Personal information provided to the ALP is not stored on the ALP's web servers and access is restricted to it, however, you should be aware that unencrypted information whilst in transit via the Internet inherently is not secure. Should you wish to send information to the ALP of critical importance and be assured of high security, please arrange another method of delivery.

Credits

Before we get on to some of the organisations that provide, through their courtesy, the ALP the use of some of their content and services, we must pay a tribute to the many people, both paid and volunteers, who have contributed to the ALP's World Wide Web presence since 1995.

They are too many to mention individually. They include National Secretaries, who were willing to listen to people within the ALP who understood the opportunity the Internet provided the ALP, its supporters, members and the wider community. Others include editors, designers, contributors and "web monkeys" who have put in hours, days, weeks, months and years of effort to develop this site.

Many of the images of sitting parliamentarians used on this site are courtesy of AUSPIC and may not be used without their explicit consent.

Some of the electorate and electoral information, particularly during election periods, is made available courtesy of the Australian Electoral Commission [New Window]. Copyright ©, Australian Electoral Commission, 1998-2004. All rights reserved.

Federal electorate maps have been made available courtesy of the Australian Electoral Commission. The maps and federal electoral boundaries shown on the electorate maps are Copyright ©, Australian Electoral Commission, 1998-2004. All rights reserved.

Copyright

 This work is copyright. Permission is given for non-profit electronic viewing and distribution. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, this material may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission providing the material is not altered in any way. Any person wishing to distribute this material should seek advice on their legal obligations under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.

Disclaimer

 The views expressed on the Australian Labor Party (ALP) WWW site are commentary only, and should not be considered as advice. We encourage you to rely on independent professional advice for economic or financial planning purposes.

The ALP and the authors disclaim responsibility for loss or damage suffered by any person relying, directly or indirectly, on this WWW site, including in relation to negligence or any other default.

All information contained within this WWW site is considered correct at the time of publishing.