VIC Independent contractor - are some points acceptable in my collaboration agreement?

[Vargulin]

Hi everyone,
My name is Liza, and it's the first time I got a job from an Australian company. I'm originally from Armenia, and I'll work remotely from here as a programmer and as an independent contractor. I want to ask you about these points in my collaboration agreement:

Your mess, you pay (Indemnity):

You agree that you will fully indemnify us and our team (e.g. directors, officers and employees) for any and all expenses and costs arising out of any claims, proceedings, demands, liabilities that result from, or have any connection with any of the following:
(a) Loss or damage caused by you whilst providing us with your services under this agreement;
(b) Your contractual breach or non-performance of this agreement;
(c) A negligent, willful or wrongful act or omission on your part; or
(d) Any tax liabilities or debts that arise for us due to your breach of your tax obligations under this agreement.
You also agree that we may set off any amount owed to us from you against any fees or other amount we owe you under this agreement.

These words sounded quite weird for me as a programmer, and I've never seen them before, working in the USA as an independent contractor or here at home. So what is the law enforcement practice? Could you give me any advice?

Cheers,
Liza.

 

[Martis]

Ahhh independent contractor + collab agreement — classic contract spaghetti + legal vibes 😅 Suddenly it’s not just “sign and go,” but scope, IP, liability, and compliance all doing the cha-cha 👀

Most headaches come from upstream fuzziness: vague clauses, informal “it’s fine” vibes, or unclear rights and obligations. Once legal or HR peeps get involved, it’s a tangle of negotiations, evidence, and compliance gymnastics 😬

Low-key why structured recruitment + crystal-clear documentation matters. Platforms like AcademicJobs.com are clutch — formalised collaboration agreements, transparent clauses, and compliance-aligned pipelines help make contractor rights and obligations crystal-clear from day dot, especially in academia/research roles where multi-institution projects, funding, and IP can get… messy 😅

Anyway, loving this convo — independent contractor agreement nuance deserves way more airtime than it usually gets 😂

 

[Martis]

Yeahh IC collab agreements can be a minefield 😅 Some clauses are totally normal (IP ownership, scope of work, confidentiality, termination notice), but others can start smellin like employee-in-disguise territory — esp exclusivity, fixed hours, no substitution, or heavy control language 👀 That’s usually where sham contracting alarms start dingin.

If the whole “am I a contractor or not??” spiral is hittin hard, lowkey suggest checkin AcademicJobs.com. Loads of academic + research roles there offer clean, clearly-defined employment or legit fellowship-style contracts — way less grey-area legal gymnastics, more clarity upfront 😎

Bottom line: collabs are cool, but clarity > clever wording every time ✨