To provide guidance on the process for receipt and resolution of complaints and appeals.
Submitting a complaint or appeal
Complaints and appeals are submitted via:
- Training complaints and appeals form, for services relating to training
- Complaints and appeals form, for all other services
The complainant or appellant is encouraged to submit the form. If necessary, an ABA representative will complete the form on their behalf.
An acknowledgement is automatically sent to the submitter of the form, the complainant and to ABA Head Office.
Person responsible for resolution process
When a complaint or appeal is received, Head Office staff determine the person responsible for the resolution process according to:
| Complaint or appeal relates to | Person normally responsible for resolution process |
| Helpline or other national service | Manager responsible for service |
| Local group | Group leader |
| Training delivery | Branch Training Manager |
| Individual staff member or volunteer | Manager of staff member or volunteer |
| Assessment decision - courses for volunteers | Branch Training Manager |
| Assessment decision - courses for health professionals | HP Education Co-ordinator |
| Assessment decision - courses for community workers | Training Administration Co-ordinator |
| Administrative decision | Senior manager for portfolio |
The person responsible must contact the complainant/appellant within 7 days.
Investigating a complaint or appeal
- All ABA personnel will maintain confidentiality and respect privacy of all parties
- If the person responsible requires assistance, they may seek guidance from their manager
- Written feedback will be sent to the complainant within a further 14 days and include:
- actions taken to date
- result if complaint is resolved
- any further action to be taken
- options if the complainant/appellant is not satisfied with the outcome
Resolving the complaint or appeal
- The person responsible for the resolution process will deal with the complaint or appeal as quickly as practicable
- If a complaint or appeal takes longer than 60 days to finalise, inform the complainant/appellant of the reasons and regularly update them on progress in writing
- When the complaint or appeal is finalised, the person responsible will send a report to all parties involved detailing:
- The issue or complaint
- Action taken
- Outcome
- Any further follow-up required
- For complaints and appeals relating to training, all communications and documentation must be forwarded to Training Administration
- Training Administration will securely store documentation of complaints and appeals for 5 years
Review of outcomes
For complaints and appeals relating to training and education services:
- The Senior Manager Training and Education will annually lead a systematic review of all complaints and appeals to identify common factors
- The findings of the review will be used to update and improve our policies, procedures and practices
External mediation or review
- The mediator or reviewer will be chosen by agreement between the parties and cannot be a party to the dispute
- The complainant/appellant is responsible for the costs that may be involved with external services, unless authorised in advance by ABA's Chief Executive Officer
- The Chief Executive Officer must be informed before a complaint or appeal is referred to an external body
- The learner will be given the opportunity to formally present his or her case.
If the learner is still not happy with external mediation, he/she may take his/her complaint to the VET regulator, ASQA, directly (please be aware that ASQA does not act in a mediation capacity).