Cancellation by Users
Cancellation provisions for TIS National interpreters
Cancellation by Users
A reference to “You”, “Your” or “User” within this Cancellation Policy has the meaning provided in the general terms and conditions of use available at General Terms and Conditions of Use.
The policy and procedures set out below apply when You cancel a booking.
Cancellations You make without sufficient notice will incur cancellation charges as set out below (“Cancellation Charges”). This allows TIS National to ensure the assigned interpreter does not suffer unreasonable financial loss if bookings are cancelled at short notice.
Immediate phone interpreting jobs commence as soon as the interpreter is engaged. Cancellation after this point is not possible and standard service charges will apply.
Cancellation of bookings must be made in the following manner:
Pre-booked Phone, Video Remote or On-site jobs booked on TIS Online
- Through your TIS Online account
On-site jobs not booked in TIS Online
- In writing to tis@homeaffairs.gov.au, including the relevant job number
In exceptional circumstances such as when You do not have access to email or Your TIS Online account and a booking is scheduled to start within 24 hours, You may cancel on-site, Pre-booked Phone or Video Remote bookings by phoning TIS National on 1300 655 082. However, subsequent notification in writing is still required.
Sufficient notice
When You cancel a booking, the required notice period for the provision of ‘sufficient notice’ varies depending on the type of job, as set out below:
| Type of job | Required minimum notice (sufficient notice) | |
| Pre-booked Phone | 24 hours before scheduled start time | |
| Video Remote | 24 hours before scheduled start time | |
| Standard On-site | 24 hours before scheduled start time | |
| Deployment | 48 hours before scheduled start time | |
| Extended Travel On-site | Jobs where the 48 hour mark prior prior to the scheduled start time falls within standard operating hours |
48 hours before the scheduled start time |
| Jobs where the 48 hours mark prior to the scheduled start time falls outside standard operating hours1 |
By the most recent 4pm which is: at least 48 hours before the scheduled start time AND on a standard operating day1 |
|
1Standard operating hours and days are 8.30am - 4pm Monday - Friday (Australian Eastern Standard/Daylight Time), excluding public holidays in Melbourne.
Longer notice periods apply for Extended Travel On-site bookings and Deployments in recognition of the longer periods interpreters must block out when accepting these jobs and the higher administrative costs for TIS National.
When calculating whether You have provided sufficient notice of cancellation, the determining factor is the time that TIS National receives notification. Where notice of cancellation meets the required minimum notice period, this is considered sufficient notice and no Cancellation Charges will apply.
For Extended Travel assignments and Deployments involving travel, the scheduled start time is the time that the interpreter leaves their place of residence. This will affect calculation of sufficient notice and may also affect calculation of any applicable Cancellation Charges.
Some Deployments are arranged at very short notice and may be subject to rapidly changing requirements. Once the assigned interpreter accepts a deployment in writing, the booking is considered to be confirmed and sufficient notice provisions will apply to any subsequent cancellation or significant changes.
Cancellation Charges
Where You provide insufficient notice of cancellation, applicable Cancellation Charges vary depending on the type of job, as set out below:
| Type of job | Applicable cancellation charges |
| Pre-booked Phone | Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for the full scheduled duration of the booking and, if applicable, any approved ancillary task(s) which the interpreter has already completed |
| Video Remote | Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for the full scheduled duration of the booking and, if applicable, any approved ancillary task(s) which the interpreter has already completed |
| Standard On-site | Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for the full scheduled duration of the booking and, if applicable, any approved ancillary task(s) which the interpreter has already completed |
| Deployment | Cancellation Charges equivalent to the service charge for any days of interpreting which were scheduled to have commenced within 48 hours from the time the booking was cancelled (calculated in full-day blocks and including applicable interpreter travel costs if travel has already commenced) |
| Extended Travel On-site | Charges for:
Cancellation Charges will be calculated as follows:
a. Applicable travel costs will be included in the cancellation charge. This will include overnight travel allowance for each relevant day where the interpreter has not arrived home at their usual place of residence by 1:30 am. b. If the return journey requires overnight transit, the interpreter is considered to be in down time upon arrival at their hotel and travel time will cease in accordance with standard TIS National policy. Down time is not counted for purposes of calculating the cancellation charge. Travel time recommences when the interpreter departs their hotel the next day for onward travel to their usual place of residence. c. Approved ancillary task costs will be included in the cancellation charge if the interpreter has already completed the task(s) when the assignment is cancelled |
1 'Relevant days' are the day of cancellation and the following two days, plus any days of interpreting or travel which have already occurred.
Ancillary tasks
Occasionally, a client may require an interpreter to complete additional, non-interpreting tasks before an assignment. If the assigned interpreter completes any such ancillary tasks before TIS National receives notification of cancellation of the associated interpreting assignment, the interpreter will be paid for the ancillary task and the client will be charged. This is the case even if the client has provided sufficient notice of cancellation.
Significant changes without sufficient notice
Unless You provide sufficient notice, TIS National is not able to accommodate significant changes to on-site, Video Remote or Pre-booked Phone bookings. Changes to the following criteria are significant changes if they affect interpreter allocation:
- Requested language
- Job location
- Date or time of job
- Requested interpreter gender or NAATI credential level
- Additional requirements such as a Working with Children Check, NDIS Worker Screening Check or security clearance
If You request to change the mode of interpreting (for example, from on-site to Video Remote), this is always a significant change. TIS National may also determine that other requests constitute a significant change where they have an impact on the original interpreter allocation.
If You request a significant change without sufficient notice, TIS National will treat this as a cancellation without sufficient notice if You choose not to proceed with the assignment. Cancellation Charges will apply in these circumstances.
Cancellation provisions for TIS National interpreters
Cancellation fees payable to interpreters
If a User (client) or TIS National cancels a booking without ‘sufficient notice’ as defined at Sufficient notice above, the assigned interpreter is entitled to a cancellation fee. The applicable cancellation fee varies depending on the type of job, as set out below:
|
Type of job |
Applicable cancellation fee |
|
Pre-booked phone |
Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for the full scheduled duration of the booking and, if applicable, any approved ancillary task(s) which the interpreter has already completed |
|
Video Remote |
Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for the full scheduled duration of the booking and, if applicable, any approved ancillary task(s) which the interpreter has already completed |
|
Standard On-site |
Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for the full scheduled duration of the booking and, if applicable, any approved ancillary task(s) which the interpreter has already completed |
|
Deployment |
Cancellation fee equivalent to the fee for any days of interpreting which were scheduled to have commenced within 48 hours from the time the booking was cancelled (calculated in full-day blocks), plus incurred travel costs if applicable |
|
Extended Travel On-site |
Cancellation fee for:
Cancellation fees will be calculated as follows:
a. Applicable travel costs will be included in the cancellation fee. This will include overnight travel allowance for each relevant day where the interpreter has not arrived home at their usual place of residence by 1:30 am. b. If the return journey requires overnight transit, the interpreter is considered to be in down time upon arrival at their hotel and travel time will cease in accordance with standard TIS National policy. Down time is not counted for purposes of calculating the cancellation fee. Travel time recommences when the interpreter departs their hotel the next day for onward travel to their usual place of residence.
c. Approved ancillary task costs will be included in the cancellation fee if the interpreter has already completed the task(s) when the assignment is cancelled. |
1'Relevant days' are the day of cancellation and the following two days, plus any days of interpreting or travel which have already occurred.
When calculating whether a User (client) has provided sufficient notice of cancellation, the determining factor is the time that TIS National receives notification, not the interpreter.
Rarely, there may be short delays in passing notification onto interpreters. In most cases such delays are not expected to be more than five minutes, but delays of up to one hour may occur for cancellations of Extended Travel On-site jobs, which must be processed manually. Accordingly, interpreters are not entitled to a cancellation fee as long as TIS National provides at least 47 hours’ notice of cancellation for Extended Travel On-site jobs.
If TIS National has made all reasonable efforts to notify the interpreter of a cancellation with sufficient notice but the interpreter cannot be contacted, the interpreter will be deemed to have been notified with sufficient notice and a cancellation fee will not be payable.
Interpreters should refer to the Cancellation Policy Procedural Instruction in the TIS Online interpreter portal for further details on how the Cancellation Policy applies to them.
