Corrections Policy

How errors are fixed

When a factual error is found on Ballarat Desk, the desk corrects the text in place. A note is added at the bottom of the page with the date of the correction and a short description of what was changed. The original error is not left visible.

The desk does not silently edit a page. The correction note stays on the page so readers can see that a change was made. If an error is minor, such as a typo, the desk may fix it without a note.

How to report an error

A reader can report an error by email to editor@ballaratdesk.com. The email should include the page URL, the exact text that is wrong, and the correct information if the reader has it. The desk will check the source document and respond if needed.

The desk does not promise to reply to every error report, but every report is read. If the error is confirmed, the correction is made as soon as practical.

A change since the check is not an error

If a broker changes its spread, leverage, or minimum deposit after Ballarat Desk checked it, that is not an error on the desk's part. The desk records the date when a document was read. A figure that was correct on that date is not wrong later.

When a broker changes its terms, the desk may re-check the document and update the page, but that is a new check, not a correction. The desk does not continuously monitor every broker, so a reader must always verify the current terms on the broker's own website.

What counts as a correction-worthy error on the Ballarat Desk gold page

A correction-worthy error is any factual statement that could mislead an Australian trader about the numbers, costs, or regulatory status of trading gold with Ballarat Desk. That includes a wrong pip value, a wrong margin calculation, a wrong lot size, a wrong leverage cap, or a wrong regulator. If the page says 1 standard lot of XAU/USD is 100 oz and a pip is 0.01, those are correct, but if a later edit changed the pip to 0.1 or the lot size to 10 oz, that is an error worth logging. A wrong maximum leverage figure or a claim that FxPro holds an ASIC licence would also qualify, because that directly affects a trader's risk and legal position.

An error worth logging also covers any statement that misdescribes what a cost is or how it is calculated, even if no number is given. For example, saying gold spreads are fixed when the page has never stated a specific spread, or saying swaps are always credited, would be an error because it invents a fact not in the original content. The log is for corrections to facts, not for style preferences or differences of opinion. If a paragraph says the margin at 1:200 for a 0.10-lot gold position is about $85.50, and an edit changes that to $8.55, that is exactly the kind of arithmetic error the log exists to catch and date.

Finally, an error is worth logging if it changes the regulatory caveat for Australian residents. The page states that FxPro is licensed by the FCA and CySEC and does not hold an ASIC licence. If that sentence were altered to say FxPro is ASIC-regulated, or if the caveat were removed entirely, that would be a serious error. It would also be an error to add a funding method not in the original list, such as PayPal or credit card, because the page only names PayID and bank transfer. The test is simple: would a reader in Australia make a different trading decision or take a different risk because of the change? If yes, it is logged.

How a correction is recorded and dated in the public log

Every correction is recorded with the exact date it was made, the section it affected, and a plain-English note of what changed and why. The log keeps a permanent entry for each fix, so a reader can see that on, for example, 12 June 2025, the margin figure for a 0.10-lot gold position at 1:200 was corrected from an incorrect earlier amount to about $85.50. No correction is ever applied silently, because a silent edit would leave readers unsure whether the number they saw last week was right. The date is always the date the correction went live on the page, not the date the error was first spotted.

The log entry includes the before and after text for any number or factual claim that changed. If the pip value for gold was mistakenly written as 0.1 and is corrected to 0.01, the log shows both versions. If the maximum leverage was wrongly stated as 1:500, the log shows that it was corrected to up to 1:200, and notes that the higher figure was never part of the original content. This before-and-after record matters because a trader may have acted on the wrong number. The log does not include internal drafts or typos that were fixed before publishing; it only records corrections to content that was already live and visible to readers.

Each correction is dated using the day, month, and year in Australian format, for example 12 June 2025, not 6/12/25, to avoid confusion for local readers. The log is organised in reverse chronological order, so the most recent fix appears first. If the same error is corrected twice because a later edit reintroduced it, both corrections get separate entries with their own dates. The log does not speculate about who made the error or why it happened; it simply states the corrected fact and the date it was fixed. That keeps the record factual and useful without turning it into a blame game.

The difference between a correction and a routine update

A correction fixes a factual error that was already wrong at the time it was published, while an update adds new information or changes a number because the underlying market data changed. For example, if the page had said gold's reference price was 4275.0 and that was correct at the time, a later change to a new reference price is an update, not a correction. But if the page had said the reference price was 427.50, that would be a correction, because it was wrong from the start. The distinction matters because the log must not be cluttered with routine price updates that happen every day.

Updates are expected and do not need a correction entry unless the update itself introduces an error. When the page is refreshed with a new reference price, that is simply an update to keep the content current. The same applies to any change in the regulatory caveat if FxPro's licensing status changes in the future. However, if during an update someone accidentally changes the pip value from 0.01 to 0.1, that is a correction-worthy error introduced by the update, and it gets logged with the date of the fix. The log therefore distinguishes between 'corrected' entries, which fix mistakes, and 'updated' entries, which reflect legitimate changes in data.

A correction also differs from an update in its urgency and its effect on trust. An update can wait until the next scheduled review, but a correction should be made as soon as the error is confirmed, because leaving a wrong number live is worse than having an outdated one. The page about gold trading is used by Australian traders to check margin and pip values before placing a trade, so a wrong pip value could cause a trader to miscalculate risk. That is why the log treats corrections as a priority and dates them precisely, while updates are simply noted as part of normal content maintenance.

Why the correction log remains public for every reader

The correction log stays public because transparency about fixes is the only way a reader can trust that the numbers on the page are right at the moment they read them. If the log were hidden or deleted, a trader would have no way to know whether the margin figure of about $85.50 for a 0.10-lot gold position at 1:200 had ever been wrong. Keeping the log public means that even if an error was live for a week, the reader can see exactly when it was fixed and what the correct figure is now. That is essential for a page that gives specific formulas and numbers for gold trading.

A public log also protects readers from acting on stale or false information they may have seen before a correction was made. Suppose a reader saw an incorrect pip value of 0.1 on the page last month and placed a trade based on that. When the log shows that the pip value was corrected to 0.01 on a specific date, the reader can reconcile their own records. Without a public log, they might assume the page always said 0.01 and that they misread it, which would undermine their confidence in the whole site. The log is not just a formality; it is a practical tool for anyone who relies on the page's numbers.

Finally, the log stays public because it demonstrates that the editorial process values accuracy over hiding mistakes. The page is aimed at traders who need to get the numbers exactly right before placing a trade, and a hidden correction log would suggest that errors are being covered up. By keeping every correction dated and visible, the site shows that it treats a wrong pip value or a wrong leverage cap as a serious matter. Australian readers dealing with an offshore broker like FxPro already face extra regulatory caution, so a transparent correction log is part of giving them the facts they need without any guesswork.

What the correction log does not cover

The correction log does not cover changes in market conditions, such as a new reference price for gold, because those are updates, not corrections. The page states a reference price of 4275.0, but that number will change as the market moves, and those changes are not errors. The log also does not cover additions of new sections or improvements to wording that do not change any factual claim. If a paragraph is rewritten to be clearer but the numbers and facts stay the same, that is not a correction and does not get a dated entry. The log is only for fixes to factual errors that were live on the page.

The correction log also does not cover errors in other pages or in external sources. If a reader finds a mistake on a different page of the site, that error goes to that page's own log, not this one. The log for the gold page only tracks corrections to the content about trading XAU/USD with Ballarat Desk, including the margin example, the pip value, the leverage cap, and the regulatory caveat. It does not track errors in the broker's own materials or in third-party data, because those are outside the control of this page. The log's scope is deliberately narrow so readers can find exactly what was fixed here.

Finally, the log does not cover speculative or unverifiable claims. If someone emails to say the margin figure 'seems high' but cannot point to a specific error, that is not a correction. The log only records fixes where the error is confirmed against the original facts: 1 lot = 100 oz, pip = 0.01, maximum leverage up to 1:200, and the margin at that leverage for a 0.10-lot position is about $85.50. The log also does not cover changes to the funding methods list unless a method was wrongly added or removed. PayID and bank transfer are the only methods named, and any change to that list would be a correction if it contradicted the original content.