Service delivery charter

Our service

We investigate complaints about the actions and decisions of state government departments and agencies (including state schools and TAFE), local councils and public universities. We work with these agencies to improve decision-making and administrative practices. 

Our service is free and independent. We assess complaints within our jurisdiction and make recommendations to rectify unlawful, unreasonable or unjust decisions and improve administrative practice.

We provide education and advice as the oversight agency for the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 (PID Act).

We promote the humane treatment of detainees and the prevention of harm through reviews, inspections and independent reporting under the Inspector of Detention Services Act 2022 (IDS Act).

The strategic plan provides more information on how we achieve this.

When you contact us, you can expect:

• your call will be answered promptly and professionally between the hours of 9.30am-4.00pm on business days. (please note, our phones will be unattended between 9:30am and 11:00am on the last Tuesday of each month due to staff training)
• staff who are courteous, helpful, professional and sensitive to diverse needs
• your complaint will be handled according to our privacy plan, fairly and in a timely way - find out how seriously we take privacy
• if we don't have the power to investigate your complaint, we will advise you as soon as we can about where to take your complaint
• clear explanations about what we can and cannot do, reasons for our decisions and any recommendations we may make
• a preliminary assessment of your complaint within approximately 10 days
• progress updates at least once a month if your complaint is investigated.

Find out more about our complaints process.

Making contact

131 450 (for translation service)
National Relay Service (give our number, 3005 7000, and they will call us)
Online: Make a complaint
Post: GPO Box 3314, Brisbane, QLD 4001

When you contact us by telephone, you can expect:

• your call will be answered promptly and professionally between the hours of 9.00am-4.00pm on business days. (please note, our phones will be unattended between 9:30am and 11:00am on the last Tuesday of each month due to staff training)
• the person who answers will provide assistance or refer you to another agency that can help
• the person to get back to you within a reasonable time in the event we are unable to help you immediately.

When you make an online complaint, you will immediately receive an automated acknowledgment. When you make a complaint by email, fax or letter, you can expect an acknowledgement within five working days of receipt. When we contact you, we will communicate with you in plain English and respond to your concerns and queries.

Our commitment to accessibility

Our services are available to all people and we are committed to ensuring that we are accessible to everyone. 

How you can help us

We are dedicated to offering you a professional and independent service. To help us fulfil our charter commitments, we ask you to:

• exhaust the agency’s complaints management system, before contacting us
• be polite, willing to listen and respectful
• inform our staff if you have any special needs, such as an interpreter
• provide a concise summary of your complaint, including documentation to support your complaint (e.g. letters, emails and file notes of telephone conversations)
• tell us about the result you wish to achieve
• respond to our requests within agreed timeframes
• keep us up-to-date if circumstances change or you have new information.

If you are unable to meet these obligations, we may choose to only contact you in writing, or even discontinue the investigation.

Are you unhappy with our decision?

If you are unhappy with our decision, you can ask for a review. Reviews will be conducted by, or under the supervision of, another officer of equal or greater seniority than the officer who originally made the decision. Find out how to have your decision reviewed. 

Are you unhappy with our level of service?

If you are unhappy with the way you have been treated or the level of service you received from one of our officers, find out how to complain about our service. 

State government departments and agencies, local councils and public universities

• provide advice and help to develop effective complaint management practices
• provide advice and help to improve the quality of agency practices and procedures
• provide information about how to manage public interest disclosures in accordance with the PID Act and Standards
• treat officers fairly and with respect during interviews and discussions about complaints
• offer advice about how to handle our investigations
• give agencies a reasonable time to respond to our requests for information and comment on complaints that may lead to us making a public report
• make practical recommendations.
  
  

How agencies can help our investigations

To help us fulfil our charter commitments, we ask agencies to:

• respond to our requests for information and documents in plain English and in a timely way
• provide clear, accurate and complete information, and respond specifically to questions asked
• state your agency's case logically and fairly
• acknowledge inadequacies and be willing to address them through improved policy or procedures
• give careful consideration to recommendations we make, or requests to take specific actions at the completion of an investigation and implement them wherever possible
• record and analyse complaints information to improve customer service.
  

Your feedback is important

We value your feedback on our service and how we conduct our business. Your comments provide us with valuable information to improve services. You can contact us by telephone, in writing, email or letter or via our online enquiry and feedback form.

Once your case has been closed you will be emailed an invitation to respond anonymously via online survey about your experience.