These procedures are governed by the Student Complaint Management Policy.

A student or prospective student who has any concern that comes within the scope of this policy is strongly encouraged to attempt to resolve that concern informally and as close to the source of the concern as possible.

3.1 A student or prospective student who has been unable to resolve a complaint to their satisfaction through informal dialogue under Section 2 may submit a formal complaint to the Office of the Academic Registrar who will record the lodgement in the University Register of Complaints. Complaints must be lodged online or by mail to PO Box 968 North Sydney NSW 2059.

3.2 A complaint should be lodged within 20 working days of the occurrence of the subject matter of the complaint or of notification of the matter which is the subject of the complaint. Notwithstanding this, all complaints will be considered at any time on their merit.

3.3 In lodging a formal complaint, a student or prospective student is responsible for ensuring that the matter raised has substance and is genuine and they must participate in the process in an appropriate manner.

3.4 A formal complaint must:

1. be in writing;
2. be dated and signed by the complainant;
3. provide the student identity number (where issued) and contact details;
4. provide full details of the subject matter of the complaint and, in particular, specific details of the matter in relation to which the complaint is made; this will include matters such as the names of any other party/ies, the time, date, place, the subject matter of the complaint and details of witnesses, if relevant;
5. provide sufficient information to enable any other party/ies to respond;
6. indicate the steps taken to date, including advice sought and/or provided, and any action taken by the complainant subsequent to obtaining such advice;
7. include any supporting information or evidence on which the complainant is basing their complaint; and
8. indicate what the complainant considers to be a satisfactory solution of their complaint.

3.5 It is the responsibility of a complainant to state their grounds for complaint fully and to provide all relevant evidence from the first stage of any complaint. New grounds or new evidence must not be introduced at any later stage of the complaint process, unless:

1. there has been a major change in circumstance following the lodging of the initial complaint; and
2. the associated information or evidence has a significant bearing on the complaint and was not reasonably available at the time the complaint was first lodged.

Where such a major change in circumstance has arisen and the person/committee dealing with the complaint determines that it should be taken into consideration, the matter will normally be referred back to the level of the officer who undertook the initial review, for further consideration.

3.6 Failure of the complainant and/or the complainant's support person to appear for discussion of any complaint, at the time notified to them, will not prevent the matter being considered by the person with whom the complaint has been lodged.

4.1 Any lower level of complaint management must be exhausted before proceeding to the next higher level.

4.2 Any complaint directed to an officer at a level other than in accordance with these procedures will be re-directed to the officer at the appropriate level.

4.3 A complaint that relates to:

1. an academic matter, including a matter arising in connection with a professional experience or community engagement placement; or
2. a non-academic matter within the jurisdiction of, or related to, a School or Faculty;
   may progress the complaint through the following levels:
   1. the relevant Head of School, or equivalent;
   2. Executive Dean;
   3. Provost

4.4 A complaint that relates to a matter within the jurisdiction of, or related to, any organisational unit other than a School or Faculty may progress the complaint through the following levels:

1. to the manager responsible for the relevant organisational unit for example, the Manager of the relevant Section;
2. to the Director of the relevant Directorate;
3. to the relevant Deputy Vice-Chancellor or the Provost.

4.5 A complaint that relates to another student may seek support from staff of the relevant faculty, or of the Office of Student Success. The complaint should be addressed to the relevant Associate Vice-Chancellor or Campus Dean in the first instance. The complaint may be progressed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Students, Learning and Teaching) as appropriate.

4.6 A complaint against the conduct of a member of staff that might be in contravention of the Code of Conduct for All Staff will be referred to the Director, Human Resources who will determine whether the complaint will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant Human Resources policy or the Student Complaints Management Policy; or

4.7 In any matter which includes specific complaints:

1. that fall under the code black (personal threat) or code green (sexual assault/harassment) incident category of the Critical Incident Management Policy including, but not limited to, alleged assault, violent behaviour or sexual assault/harassment, will be referred for management according to the ACU Critical Incident Management Policy and will be dealt with in accordance with the relevant policy under (b) or (c) at the conclusion of the critical incident response; or
2. that might constitute misconduct under the Student Conduct and Discipline Policy will be referred to the relevant Authorised Officer who will determine whether the complaint will be dealt with in accordance with the Student Conduct and Discipline Policy or the Student Complaints Management Policy; or
3. that may constitute discrimination or harassment, reference should be made to the Discrimination and Harassment Policy, however the complaint will be dealt with under the Student Complaints Management Policy.

5.1 The Office of the Academic Registrar will refer the complaint to the relevant responsible officer identified in Sections 4.3-4.6.

5.2 The responsible officer dealing with a complaint will initiate action within 10 working days of receipt of the complaint.

5.3 The responsible officer will respond to the complainant in writing within 10 working days and advise that the matter is being investigated. In the case of an international student this is also a requirement of the ESOS Act and National Code.

5.4 If the responsible officer considers that the grounds of a complaint do not relate to matters set out in Section 2 of the policy, the responsible officer will notify the complainant accordingly.

5.5 If the responsible officer considers that the grounds of a complaint do relate to matters set out in Section 2 of the policy, the responsible officer will conduct an investigation into and/or a review of the issues raised.

5.6 If the responsible officer had previously been involved in the decision to which the complaint relates, the complaint will be referred to another staff member nominated by that officer's supervisor.

5.7 The responsible officer or committee handling a complaint will:

1. determine the matter on the basis of evidence brought forward by the complainant, the respondent and/or the University, act fairly, and in accordance with the relevant policy and procedures;
2. give all relevant parties a copy of, or an opportunity to inspect, all documentation relevant to the subject matter of the complaint;
3. give the parties a reasonable opportunity to make a case or response in writing and/or to appear before that person or committee;
4. give the parties at least five working days' written notice of the date, time and place of any meeting or hearing regarding the complaint;
5. permit a complainant, and any support person whom a complainant appoints under Section 7 of the policy, to be present at any meeting or hearing regarding the complaint, except during interviews with the respondent or witnesses and when members of a committee wish to confer privately among themselves or to consider their decision;
6. conduct any meeting in closed session and treat the complaint in strict confidence, except as necessary for the discharge of that person's or committee's responsibilities or as otherwise required by law.

5.8 The responsible officer will normally:

1. interview the student or prospective student who has lodged the complaint;
2. interview any relevant staff, students or other persons;
3. seek advice from other relevant staff and/or students, and/or access advice and/or expertise from such other person(s) as the officer deems appropriate.

5.9 Following investigation, the responsible officer will advise the complainant of the outcome of the investigation.

6.1 The complainant will be notified, in writing, of the outcome of the investigation and/or the proposal for resolution of their complaint under this policy within 20 working days of the lodgement of the complaint with the relevant officer. A further time period may be required in cases where that officer is required to investigate any counter-complaint lodged, or where the matter is referred for resolution under a different University policy.

6.2 The complainant will be notified of:

1. the process undertaken to consider the complaint;
2. the outcome of any investigation, including any recommendation(s) for administrative action that the University will consider;
3. the proposed resolution of the complaint including handling under another University Policy;
4. the reason(s) for that proposal; and
5. the avenue of further complaint available to the student or prospective student.

6.3 A copy or summary of the outcome of the investigation and/or any proposal for resolution of any complaint will be provided to all parties involved in the process and such other officer(s) of the University that may need to take action as a result of the decision.

6.4 Any action required of the University as a result of an outcome of a complaint must be initiated within 10 working days of the notification.

6.5 A copy of the outcomes of any investigation of a formal complaint under Section 6 will be maintained on the University Register of Complaints, held in the Office of the Academic Registrar.

6.6 An annual summary and analysis of complaints must be tabled at Academic Administrative Committee (AAC) for noting by Academic Board.