Code of Conduct · ARBCLUB

ARBCLUB is a working tradies' clubhouse — climbers, groundies, loppers, bosses, contractors, operators and drivers. The vibe is mates around a smoko, not a corporate Slack. These rules keep it that way.

By posting in any chat room, lesson comment, or member-to-member feature, you agree to follow this Code. Breaches can result in a warning, post removal, suspension, or a ban without refund.

The four pillars

1. Respect everyone in here.

Worker or boss, apprentice or 25-year vet, Cert V or no cert at all — everyone in the clubhouse is here because they work the trade. Disagreement is fine. Disrespect is not. No personal attacks, no put-downs, no "real arborists don't…" gatekeeping.

2. Safety is non-negotiable.

If you're posting about climbing, rigging, felling, chipping, plant ops, electrical proximity, storm work or anything else that can hurt someone — do it carefully. Add the context (gear, anchor, environment, training). Flag the risks. Don't post a "trick" that bypasses standard safety practice unless you explicitly explain why and when not to use it. If your post might lead a green groundie to do something dangerous, rewrite it.

3. Real talk, no spam.

Honest reviews, real war stories, genuine questions, photos of actual jobs. No paid posts dressed up as personal experience. No recruiting outside the Hiring Yard. No affiliate-link drops. No crypto, MLMs, or "side hustles". No AI-generated drivel.

4. The clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.

Don't screenshot member content and post it publicly without their permission. Don't share another member's contact details, address, employer or insurance status outside ARBCLUB. The whole point is people can speak honestly here.

What's encouraged

Real gear reviews — what worked, what didn't, what you'd buy again.
War stories and near-misses — including the parts where you stuffed up. Other people learn from them.
Photos of jobs — clean rigs, ugly take-downs, weird trees, neat groundwork.
Questions, even basic ones. We were all green once.
Tree ID help, knot questions, rigging plans, pricing sanity-checks.
Tagging another member who knows the answer.
Sharing free training resources, Australian Standards updates, WHS bulletins.

What's not OK

Harassment, hate speech, threats or discrimination based on race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, disability, nationality or anything else.
Doxxing — posting someone's address, phone, employer, registration number, ute plates, or anything else that identifies them in real life without their consent.
Defamation — making false statements about a specific person or business that damage their reputation. Honest negative reviews of a product or company are fine; "that bloke is a scammer who steals client deposits" with no evidence is not.
Fake reviews or fake accounts. Don't shill your own gear, don't pretend to be a customer, don't use multiple accounts to upvote yourself.
Spam & off-topic recruiting. Hiring posts go in the Hiring Yard (Canopy). Promoting your business outside designated rooms gets removed.
Dangerous "shortcuts" without caveats. If you're going to share something that bypasses normal practice, you must explain when not to use it.
Illegal activity. Working without a required ticket, ignoring exclusion zones, removing protected vegetation without permits, paying cash to dodge tax, etc. Don't post about it like it's a tip.
Sexual content, extreme gore, or anything you wouldn't show a co-worker.
Bot or AI-generated posts presented as personal experience.

Hiring Yard rules (Canopy room)

The Hiring Yard is for the trade hiring the trade — direct, no recruiter middleman. To keep it useful:

Post one job at a time. Specify role, location, dates, rate range or "to be discussed", and what tickets you require.
Looking-for-work posts follow the same format: role, what you can offer, location/willingness to travel, your tickets and gear, contact preference.
No agencies or labour-hire reposts. Direct from the hiring boss or the contractor only.
Settle disputes in DM, not in the room. If a deal goes bad, talk to the other member first; if it can't be resolved, contact us.
Pay people fairly. Award rates and superannuation are not optional. Sham contracting will get you removed.

Reporting a problem

See something that breaks the rules? You have two options:

Report the post in Circle — every message has a "report" option in the menu.
Email us at hello@arbclub.com.au with a screenshot and a link if it's serious or sensitive.

Reports are confidential. We won't tell the reported person who flagged them.

What happens if you breach the Code

Minor or first-time — post removed, private warning by message.
Repeated or moderate — temporary suspension (typically 7–30 days), no refund.
Severe or repeat after suspension — permanent ban, no refund.
Illegal conduct — immediate ban, and we'll cooperate with any lawful request from authorities.

Severity is judged in context. A heated argument in #war-stories is different from harassing a specific person; a one-off "rough" post is different from a pattern of dangerous content.

Appeals

If you think a moderation decision was wrong, reply to the warning email or write to hello@arbclub.com.au within 14 days. Include the post, the action taken, and why you think it was wrong. A different reviewer will look at it and reply within 7 days.

Changes

This Code may be updated as the clubhouse grows. Material changes will be posted in #general-bs at least 7 days before they take effect. Continued use of the rooms after that means you accept the updated Code.