Making a complaint

Sometimes you may not be satisfied with how the person you care for is treated by others. You may be unhappy with a service or the person providing the service. If this is the case, you can make a complaint for the person you care for.

How to complain

You can complain directly to the service provider. The first step is usually to make an ‘informal’ complaint by just talking to the provider or contacting them by letter, phone or email.

It is a good idea to start with an informal complaint because issues can often be solved quickly and easily.

But if you are not satisfied with their response to your informal complaint, you can keep going. You can:

• make a formal complaint to the service – ask them how you can make a formal complaint. They will tell you what you need to do, who you need to contact, and what happens next
• complain to a government authority or agency – the Australian Government aims to make sure organisations provide fair, good quality services. You can search online for how to make a complaint about a particular service (for example, health care or transport). Some links are provided below

Getting help with complaints

Some organisations provide information about complaints processes. These include:

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency – how are complaints and concerns managed?
• Commonwealth Ombudsman – making a complaint
• Australian Human Rights Commission – complaint information