Welcome to the De Minimis Comment Policy

De Minimis supports robust and thoughtful debate between its readers. 
We are dedicated to maintaining a respectful community that actively engages in lively discussions about articles published in print and on our site. Debate an opinion, not a person.

The De Minimis editorial team are at discretion to remove any comments which
  • Are bullying or defamatory in nature
  • Incite hate or violence against others on the basis of race, religion, political affiliation, gender, sexual orientation or disability
  • Are in violation of the University’s policy on Student Misconduct (see below)

The De Minimis editorial team reserves the right to determine whether a comment falls within one of the above descriptions.
Please keep the following in mind when writing your comments.

Respect Others - Please be respectful and polite to all the members of our Community, including other commenters, authors and the subjects of articles. Keep in mind that there are real people reading your comments.

Safe Space - Above all, we believe strongly that Melbourne Law School and the De Minimis forum should be a safe and welcoming space for all individuals, groups and their ideas. As such, insults, hate, hostility, comments inciting hate of particular groups of persons due to race, religion, political affiliation, gender, or sexual orientation, and personal attacks may be removed and you may lose your ability to comment in cases of repeated breaches of this policy. 

Moderation - In order to provide a safe space for our community, comments may be deleted from the site if deemed defamatory or in breach of the Policy on Student Misconduct.
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Please note that De Minimis are open to receiving feedback on the comments, including requests for deletion, however any action taken will be at the discretion of the De Minimis editorial team. Please email mlsdeminimis@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

FAQ
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“How do I contact a moderator about my comment(s) or comments of others?”
If any student or faculty member feels as though misconduct has occurred and has gone unaddressed by our editorial committee, please email us at mlsdeminimis@gmail.com, or contact a member of our committee. 

“Why does it say the comments section is now closed?”
The De Minimis editorial team may from time to time close the  comments section of an article before the normal 30 day time period, if comments on the article are consistently of an impermissible nature, based on the grounds described above.

“Where can I find the Policy on Student Misconduct? ”
You can find a link to the University of Melbourne Student General Misconduct Policy here. In accordance with 4.2 of the Policy, De Minimis requires any editor, writer, or reader who participates in its forums to:
  • Treat staff and other students with respect and courtesy;
  • Comply with the Appropriate Behaviours Policy and treat others fairly and equitably, and not engaging in harassing, bullying or discriminatory behaviour; 
  • Respect the rights of other members of the University community to express dissent or different political or religious views, subject to those actions or views complying with the laws of Australia and not endangering the safety of other members of the community;
  • Behave respectfully towards other cultures;

If you are considering making an allegation of general misconduct, please find below a number of relevant resources on the University’s policies.