Editorial Standards & Verification Methodology
Our research standards for verifying workplace rates, migration condition numbers, statutory superannuation dates, and municipal living benchmarks.
1. Hierarchy of Primary Authority Sources
We do not rely on second-hand blog commentary, search engine snippet caches, or marketing forum discussions. Every factual assertion regarding lawful wages, visa conditions, and taxation is anchored directly in primary Commonwealth and State statutory documentation:
- Workplace Relations: Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) determinations and Fair Work Commission (FWC) annual wage review orders.
- Immigration & Visas: Department of Home Affairs legislative instruments and official visa conditions (e.g. Condition 8105, 8104, 8547).
- Taxation & Superannuation: Australian Taxation Office (ATO) rulings and superannuation guarantee legislation.
- Consumer Rights & Scams: ACCC Scamwatch warnings and Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC) Moneysmart guidance.
- Tenancy & Residential Bonds: State and territory residential bond authorities (e.g. NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria, Queensland RTA).
2. Factual Claim Audit Structure
Consequential facts are tracked within a formal schema recording:
• Claim ID: Unique tracking identifier (e.g. CLAIM-FWC-NMW-2024)
• Source URL & Title: Exact authoritative URL and published title
• Jurisdiction: Commonwealth or specific State/Territory
• Applicable Category: Target worker, visa, or student classification
• Effective Dates: Promulgation date and legislative effective period
• Review Status: Draft → Reviewed → Published
• Review Due Date: Explicit future audit date
If information cannot be validated against a primary authority, the fact remains null rather than populated with speculative estimates.
3. Calculator Modeling Principles
Our calculators (Hourly Pay, Moving Budget, Student Budget, Job Offer Comparison) are engineered as pure client-side mathematical estimation tools:
- No Guesswork Tax Brackets: Because personal taxation in Australia depends on non-resident vs resident status, Medicare levy exemptions, and deductions, we do not guess take-home tax; we clearly ask for user-supplied take-home figures or state that the conversion is gross.
- Superannuation Separation: Employer superannuation (11.5%) is always displayed as a separate non-cash fund contribution, never as spendable take-home cash.
- Zero Arbitrary Scoring: Tools do not calculate subjective "winner scores" that promote commercial sponsors or assume lifestyle values.