Event Organizer Terms & Conditions

1. Introduction and Agreement

These Event Organizer Terms and Conditions ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("Organizer", "you", or "your") and Tamil Australia (ABN: 64 718 308 226) ("Tamil Australia", "we", "us", or "our") governing your use of the Tamil Australia platform for organizing, promoting, and selling tickets to events.

By registering as an Event Organizer, creating events, or accepting payments through our platform, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, including all provisions related to payment processing, chargebacks, disputes, and financial liabilities.

These Terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia, and are subject to the Australian Consumer Law (ACL), the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), and applicable payment services regulations.

2. Definitions

"Platform"

The Tamil Australia website, mobile applications, and all related services.

"Event"

Any event, program, or activity listed by an Organizer on the Platform.

"Attendee" or "Customer"

A person who purchases tickets or registers for an Event through the Platform.

"Payment Processing Account"

Your payment processing account created through our payment provider (Stripe Connect Express) to receive payouts.

"Chargeback"

A reversal of a payment initiated by a Customer through their financial institution or card issuer.

"Dispute"

A formal challenge by a Customer to a payment transaction, including chargebacks, refund requests, or fraud claims.

"Service Fee"

The AUD $0.80 per ticket fee charged by Tamil Australia for platform services.

"Processing Fee"

Fees charged by our payment provider for payment processing (currently 1.75% + $0.30 AUD per transaction).

3. Payment Processing

3.1 Payment Account Creation

To receive payments for ticket sales, you must create a payment processing account through our payment provider (Stripe Connect Express) connected to the Tamil Australia platform. By creating this account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information including legal name, date of birth, address, phone number, and Australian bank account details (BSB and account number)
• Comply with our payment provider's Terms of Service and Account Agreement
• Verify your identity as required by Australian Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) laws
• Maintain accurate bank account information for receiving payouts
• Provide your Tax File Number (TFN) or Australian Business Number (ABN) if required for tax reporting purposes

3.2 Payment Flow

When a Customer purchases a ticket:

1. The Customer pays the full ticket price + Tamil Australia Service Fee ($0.80 per ticket)
2. Our payment provider processes the payment and deducts Processing Fees (1.75% + $0.30 AUD)
3. Tamil Australia retains the Service Fee ($0.80 per ticket)
4. The remaining balance is credited to your payment processing account
5. Payouts are transferred to your nominated bank account according to your payout schedule

3.3 Fee Responsibility

You acknowledge and agree that:

• Processing Fees: You are responsible for all payment processing fees associated with ticket sales
• Service Fees: Tamil Australia's $0.80 per ticket service fee is non-refundable and protected from chargebacks
• Chargeback Fees: You are liable for any chargeback fees imposed by our payment provider (currently $25 AUD per chargeback)
• Currency Conversion: Any currency conversion fees if applicable

3.4 Payout Schedule

Payouts are processed according to the schedule set in your payment processing account, subject to:

• Successful verification of your identity and bank account
• Sufficient positive balance in your payment account
• No pending disputes, chargebacks, or fraud investigations
• Compliance with these Terms and our payment provider's policies

4. Payment Terms and Payout Schedule

4.1 Automatic Biweekly Payouts

4.2 Payout Processing Timeline

The payout timeline works as follows:

1. Day 0: Customer purchases tickets and payment is processed
2. Day 0-14: Funds accumulate in your Stripe payment account as tickets are sold
3. Day 14: Automatic payout is initiated by Stripe to your bank account
4. Day 15-16: Funds typically arrive in your Australian bank account (1-2 business days for bank transfers)

Note: The 14-day cycle begins from when your payment account is first verified and receives its first transaction.

4.3 Minimum Payout Amount

There is no minimum payout threshold. If you have any positive balance after 14 days, it will be transferred to your bank account, even if it's less than $1 AUD.

4.4 Payout Account Information

To receive payouts, you must provide:

• Valid Australian bank account details (BSB + Account Number)
• Account must be in your legal name or registered business name
• Account must be capable of receiving AUD transfers
• You are responsible for keeping bank details up to date

4.5 Payout Holds and Delays

Payouts may be delayed or held if:

• Pending Disputes: If there are active chargebacks or disputes, Stripe may hold funds until resolved
• Negative Balance: If your account has a negative balance from previous chargebacks, incoming funds will first offset the deficit
• Risk Review: Stripe may temporarily hold payouts for risk assessment or fraud investigation
• Verification Issues: If additional identity or business verification is required
• Bank Account Problems: If your bank details are invalid or transfers fail

4.6 Manual Payout Option

While automatic payouts are enabled by default, you can contact Tamil Australia to switch to manual payout mode if you prefer to control when transfers occur. However, we recommend keeping automatic payouts enabled for convenience and consistent cash flow.

4.7 Payout Reporting and Transparency

You can track all payout activity through:

• Tamil Australia Dashboard: View payout history, upcoming payouts, and balances
• Stripe Express Dashboard: Access detailed transaction logs, payout schedules, and financial reports
• Email Notifications: Receive confirmation emails when payouts are processed

4.8 Currency and Fees

All transactions and payouts are processed in Australian Dollars (AUD):

• No Payout Fees: Stripe does not charge fees for transferring funds to your Australian bank account
• Processing Fees Already Deducted: The 1.75% + $0.30 AUD Stripe processing fee is deducted at the time of customer payment
• Service Fee Already Retained: Tamil Australia's $0.80 per ticket service fee is retained before funds reach your balance
• Net Payouts: The amount transferred to your bank is the net ticket revenue after all fees

4.9 Failed Payout Recovery

If a payout fails (e.g., due to invalid bank details):

• Stripe will notify you via email with failure details
• Funds will remain in your Stripe account balance
• You must update your bank account information
• The payout will be automatically retried on the next scheduled payout date
• You can also manually trigger a payout after correcting bank details

4.10 Chargeback Impact on Payouts

See Section 5 (Chargeback and Dispute Liability) for comprehensive chargeback handling information.

5. Chargeback and Dispute Liability

5.1 Organizer Liability for Chargebacks

• Automatic Deduction: When a chargeback occurs, our payment provider automatically debits the full disputed amount from your payment account balance
• Negative Balance: If your account balance is insufficient, your account will show a negative balance
• Recovery from Future Sales: Negative balances are automatically recovered from future ticket sales and payouts
• Platform Protection: Tamil Australia's platform balance is never affected by your chargebacks
• Service Fee Protection: Tamil Australia retains the $0.80 service fee regardless of chargeback outcomes

5.2 Chargeback Process

When a chargeback is filed:

1. Immediate Deduction: Our payment provider immediately debits the disputed amount + chargeback fee from your account
2. Notification: You receive an email notification with dispute details, reason, and deadline to respond
3. Evidence Submission: You have 7 days to submit evidence through your payment provider dashboard including:
   • Event tickets and booking confirmations
   • Attendance records and check-in logs
   • Event photos showing customer attendance
   • Email communications with the customer
   • Terms and conditions the customer agreed to
   • Refund and cancellation policy
4. Payment Provider Review: Our payment provider reviews evidence from both parties and makes a determination
5. Resolution:
   • If you win: The disputed amount + chargeback fee is returned to your account
   • If you lose: The deduction becomes permanent and cannot be recovered

5.3 Common Chargeback Reasons

You may face chargebacks for various reasons, including but not limited to:

• Fraudulent: Customer claims they did not authorize the transaction
• Unrecognized: Customer does not recognize the charge on their statement
• Product Not Received: Customer claims they did not receive the service (event attendance)
• Product Unacceptable: Customer claims the event did not meet expectations
• Duplicate: Customer claims they were charged multiple times
• Cancelled/Postponed Event: Customer claims they should receive a refund for cancelled events

5.4 Chargeback Prevention Responsibilities

You agree to take reasonable steps to prevent chargebacks, including:

• Providing clear and accurate event descriptions, dates, times, and locations
• Displaying your business name clearly so customers recognize charges
• Maintaining detailed records of ticket sales and event attendance
• Responding promptly to customer inquiries and refund requests
• Implementing check-in procedures to verify attendance
• Sending booking confirmations and event reminders to customers
• Honoring your stated refund and cancellation policies
• Notifying customers immediately if an event is cancelled or postponed

6. Negative Balance and Recovery

6.1 Negative Balance Occurrence

Your Stripe Express Account may have a negative balance when:

• Chargebacks exceed your current account balance
• Refunds are processed when insufficient funds are available
• Chargeback fees are applied to an account with low balance
• Multiple disputes occur simultaneously

6.2 Automatic Recovery

You authorize our payment provider and Tamil Australia to automatically recover negative balances by:

• Withholding amounts from future ticket sales
• Deducting from scheduled payouts
• Retaining funds until the negative balance is cleared

6.3 Persistent Negative Balance

If your account maintains a negative balance for more than 90 days:

• Tamil Australia may suspend your ability to create new events
• Our payment provider may initiate collection procedures according to their terms
• You remain legally liable for the outstanding balance
• Tamil Australia may pursue legal action to recover amounts owed under Queensland law

6.4 Repayment Obligation

You agree to repay any negative balance in full, including:

• The principal chargeback amounts
• All associated chargeback fees ($25 AUD per chargeback)
• Any collection costs or legal fees incurred
• Interest on overdue amounts at the rate permitted by Queensland law

7. Fraud Prevention and Cyber Risk

7.1 Your Fraud Prevention Obligations

You must implement reasonable security measures to prevent fraud, including:

• Securing your Tamil Australia account with a strong password
• Never sharing your login credentials with unauthorized persons
• Monitoring your event dashboards for suspicious activity
• Reporting suspected fraudulent bookings immediately
• Verifying the identity of high-value or bulk ticket purchasers
• Implementing email verification for attendees

7.2 Fraudulent Transactions

You acknowledge that you are liable for fraudulent transactions processed through your events, including:

• Stolen credit card purchases
• Identity theft-related bookings
• Synthetic fraud and account takeover incidents

Tamil Australia and Stripe employ fraud detection systems, but you remain ultimately responsible for chargebacks resulting from fraudulent transactions.

7.3 Cyber Security

You agree to:

• Keep your devices and software updated with security patches
• Use secure internet connections when accessing your organizer dashboard
• Notify Tamil Australia immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account
• Not use your account for any illegal, fraudulent, or malicious purposes

7.4 Limitation of Tamil Australia Liability for Fraud

Tamil Australia is not liable for losses arising from fraudulent transactions on your events unless caused by our gross negligence or willful misconduct. We provide the platform as a service, and you bear the risk of fraud associated with your event ticket sales. Our payment provider employs industry-standard fraud detection, but ultimate liability for fraudulent chargebacks rests with you.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Tamil Australia (ABN: 64 718 308 226), its proprietor, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or relating to:

• Your breach of these Terms or any applicable laws
• Your events, including event cancellations, postponements, or changes
• Disputes, chargebacks, or refund requests from attendees
• Fraudulent transactions processed through your events
• Negative balances in your Stripe Express Account
• Your failure to deliver events as advertised
• Injuries, damages, or losses suffered by attendees at your events
• Your violation of third-party intellectual property rights
• Your misrepresentation of event details or ticket availability
• Tax liabilities arising from your ticket sales and event revenue

This indemnification obligation survives termination of your account and these Terms.

9. Limitation of Liability

9.1 Tamil Australia Liability Limitations

To the maximum extent permitted by Australian law (including the Australian Consumer Law):

• Tamil Australia is not liable for any chargebacks, disputes, or payment reversals on your events
• Tamil Australia is not responsible for delays or failures in payment processing by our payment provider
• Tamil Australia does not guarantee any specific sales volume, revenue, or attendance for your events
• Tamil Australia is not liable for losses arising from platform downtime, technical issues, or cyber attacks
• Tamil Australia's total liability to you for any claim is limited to the total service fees you have paid in the 12 months prior to the claim

9.2 Consequential Damages

Tamil Australia is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including:

• Lost profits or revenue
• Loss of business opportunity
• Reputational damage
• Loss of data or information
• Cost of substitute services

9.3 Australian Consumer Law

Nothing in these Terms excludes, restricts, or modifies any consumer guarantees, warranties, or other rights that you may have under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable laws that cannot be excluded, restricted, or modified by agreement. Where our liability cannot be excluded, our liability is limited to the extent permitted by law to the re-supply of the services or payment of the cost of re-supply.

10. Refund and Cancellation Policies

10.1 Your Refund Policy

You are responsible for setting and clearly communicating your refund and cancellation policy for each event. Tamil Australia recommends:

• Displaying your refund policy prominently on event pages
• Including refund terms in booking confirmation emails
• Honoring refund requests according to your stated policy
• Processing refunds promptly (within 7-14 business days)

10.2 Event Cancellations

If you cancel or postpone an event, you must:

• Notify all ticket holders immediately via email
• Update the event status on the Tamil Australia platform
• Offer full refunds for cancelled events within 7 days
• Offer transfer to new dates or refunds for postponed events

Failure to refund for cancelled events will result in chargebacks that you are liable for, plus chargeback fees.

10.3 Service Fee Non-Refundable

Tamil Australia's $0.80 per ticket service fee is non-refundable, even if you issue refunds to customers. This fee covers platform costs, payment processing infrastructure, and administrative overhead.

11. Legal Compliance and Regulatory Requirements

11.1 Tax Obligations

You are solely responsible for:

• Reporting all income from ticket sales to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO)
• Paying GST if you are registered or required to be registered for GST
• Providing your TFN or ABN to Stripe and Tamil Australia as required
• Issuing valid tax invoices to customers if GST-registered
• Maintaining accurate financial records for tax purposes

11.2 Licensing and Permits

You warrant that you have obtained all necessary:

• Event permits and licenses required by Queensland and local councils
• Liquor licenses if serving alcohol
• Music performance licenses (APRA/AMCOS)
• Public liability insurance
• Health and safety certifications
• Venue hire agreements

11.3 Data Protection

You agree to comply with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Australian Privacy Principles when handling customer data obtained through ticket sales, including:

• Collecting personal information only for legitimate event purposes
• Securing customer data against unauthorized access or disclosure
• Not selling or sharing customer data with third parties without consent
• Responding to customer data access and deletion requests

11.4 Anti-Money Laundering (AML)

You agree to comply with the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 (Cth) and assist our payment provider and Tamil Australia with identity verification and transaction monitoring as required.

12. Account Suspension and Termination

12.1 Suspension Rights

Tamil Australia may suspend or terminate your organizer account immediately if:

• Your chargeback rate exceeds 1% of total transactions
• Your Stripe account has a persistent negative balance
• You fail to respond to customer complaints or refund requests
• You violate these Terms or applicable laws
• You provide false or misleading information
• You engage in fraudulent or illegal activities
• Your events pose safety or reputational risks
• Our payment provider suspends or terminates your payment account

12.2 Effects of Termination

Upon termination:

• You cannot create new events or sell tickets
• Existing events may be delisted from the platform
• Outstanding payouts may be withheld pending dispute resolution
• You remain liable for all chargebacks, refunds, and negative balances
• You must fulfill obligations for already-sold tickets

12.3 Voluntary Termination

You may close your account at any time, provided all events are completed, all tickets honored, all refunds processed, all disputes resolved, and your payment account balance is zero or positive.

13. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Queensland, Australia. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Queensland for any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the platform.

13.2 Negotiation First

Before initiating legal proceedings, you agree to attempt to resolve disputes through good faith negotiation with Tamil Australia. Contact us at events@tamilaustralia.com.au to initiate dispute resolution.

13.3 Mediation

If negotiation fails, you agree to participate in mediation through a recognized mediation service in Queensland before pursuing litigation.

14. Changes to These Terms

Tamil Australia may update these Terms from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in applicable laws or regulations
• New features or services
• Updates to payment processing or fee structures
• Enhanced security or fraud prevention measures

We will notify you of material changes via email at least 30 days before they take effect. Your continued use of the platform after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Contact Information

16. Acceptance of Terms