AusPat FAQs


Issue 1: Session Time out

After conducting a search and attempting to display a second page of search results the following message is displayed:

Your current session has timed out after two hours of inactivity. You have been returned to the start page for a new session.

Cause

Caching and cookie version conflicts within Internet Explorer.

Solution

We recommend the following course of action to resolve this issue:

 1. Ensure that Internet Explorer checks the new versions of pages each time they are retrieved.

Choose Tools > Internet Options

Click the Settings button

Select "Every visits to the page"

Click the "OK" button

Click the "OK" button

 2. Ensure that cookies are always accepted from IP Australia

Choose Tools > Internet Options > Settings

Click the "Privacy" tab

Click the "Sites..." button

Type*.ipaustralia.gov.au into the "Address of Web site" box

Click the "OK" button

Click the "OK" button

In addition we suggest that you:

 1. Clear all Cookies from your browser

Choose Tools > Internet Options

Click the "Delete Cookies..." button

Click the "OK" button

Click the "OK button

 2. Clear the Cashe in your browser

Choose Tools > Internet Options

Click the "Delete Files..." button

Check the "Delete Files..." button

Check the "Delete all offline content" checkbox

Click the "OK" button

Click the "OK" button

Issue 2: Blank Search Return

After undertaking a valid search, the Search results page returns a blank section where the results usually display.

Cause

Unknown

Solution

There are three simple work arounds to try:

  1. Click the Refresh button in the toolbar to activate the Refresh keyboard shortcut (on Microsoft Windows computers, either F5 or Ctrl-R).
  2. If that doesn't work, try Ctrl-F5 (i.e. hold down the Control key and then press F5); this shortcut is documented as always refreshing the page from the Internet, regardless of what is in the cache.
  3. If neither method of refreshing works, you can manually delete all files in your cache. To do this, select Tools > Internet Options from the menu and then click the "Delete Files..." Button. (Note that this last process may take some time if the cache has not been recently cleared).

Finally, you might simply consider trying a different Web browser. Firefox, Chrome and Opera are three popular alternatives available for a variety of operating systems.

Issue 3: Unexpected Error

A search is conducted and an error page is returning saying "Unexpected Error. Please conduct your search at a later time"

Cause

There are two possible reasons:

  1. The search indexes are being 'swapped' from the previous day's to the current day's and this will only be the cause for around 10 minutes each morning between 2:00am - 3:00am.
  2. If the search is conducted past 3:00am, this means the search engine has failed.

Solution

For reason 2 raise the issue with our Customer Service Centre on 1300 65 10 10 or email assist@ipaustralia.gov.au.

Issue 4: Timestamp is older then 24 hours

The Timestamp on the search results page is more then 24 hours old.

Cause

The overnight job failed at some point and rolled back to the last successful run.

Solution

Raise the issue with our Customer Service Centre on 1300 65 10 10 or email assist@ipaustralia.gov.au.

Issue 5: 'Start again' link

The 'Start again' link is displayed.

Cause

Check to see if more then one instance of AusPat is open on the computer. AusPat gets confused when more then one instance is open and displays the 'start again' message.

Solution

Close the AusPat database, reopen only one AusPat database and restart search.

Last Updated: 15/11/2011