How to make a complaint

You can complain in whichever way suits you:

• Verbally, to any of our workers or directly to the Director
• In writing, by email to [email protected], by letter, or on a complaint form
• By phone, on 1300 316 664
• Through an advocate or support person acting for you
• Anonymously, though this does limit what we can do in response

Support to make a complaint

If making a complaint is difficult for any reason, we will help. That includes:

• Accessible information explaining the process
• Assistance from an advocate, if you want one
• Interpreters or communication aids where they are needed
• Support to contact an external complaints body if you would rather go straight there

What happens next

1. We acknowledge your complaint and record it.
2. We assess how urgent and serious it is, including whether anyone is at risk and whether it needs to be reported to a regulator.
3. We assign someone to manage it. That is usually the Director, unless the complaint is about the Director.
4. We tell you how it will be handled and how long we expect it to take.
5. We investigate: gathering information from the people involved, reviewing records, and applying procedural fairness so that anyone the complaint is about has a chance to respond.
6. We make findings based on the evidence, and identify what needs to be done.

Our timeframes

Stage	Timeframe
We acknowledge your complaint	Within 2 business days
Initial assessment completed	Within 5 business days
Straightforward complaints resolved	Within 14 days
Complex complaints resolved	Within 30 days
We keep you updated	At least every 14 days until resolved

If resolving it will take longer than this, we will tell you why and give you a revised timeframe.

Possible outcomes

Depending on what we find, the outcome may include:

• An explanation, and an apology where one is warranted
• Action to address the concern directly
• A change to a policy or a procedure
• Additional training or supervision for a worker
• Disciplinary action
• No action, where a complaint is not substantiated

We tell you the outcome and what has been done about it. If you are not satisfied, we explain your options for review.

If you are not satisfied

You do not have to accept our answer. You can:

• Ask for an internal review by the Director, if they were not already involved
• Lodge a complaint with the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission
• Contact your state ombudsman or health complaints entity
• Contact AHPRA, if your complaint concerns a registered practitioner

You can also go to any of these bodies directly at any time. You do not need to come to us first.

External complaint bodies

Body	Contact
NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission	1800 035 544 ndiscommission.gov.au
AHPRA	1300 419 495 ahpra.gov.au
Health Care Complaints Commission (NSW)	1800 043 159 hccc.nsw.gov.au

Feedback that is not a complaint

Comments, suggestions and observations, good or bad, are recorded, acknowledged, and reviewed for what we can improve. You are welcome to give feedback without it being a formal complaint.

Protection from victimisation

Workers who report misconduct in good faith are protected from dismissal, demotion, harassment, discrimination or other adverse treatment. Reports can be made to the Director, or externally to the NDIS Commission, AHPRA or another regulator, and can be made anonymously.

This page sets out the participant-facing parts of our Feedback, Complaints and Disputes Policy (YCG-POL-009, Version 1.0, effective January 2025). A copy of the full policy document is available on request: call 1300 316 664 or email [email protected]. See also our Privacy Policy and Referral Policy.