Review rights
If you have lodged a complaint with the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (the Commission) and are not happy with a decision we have made about your complaint, you have review rights.
You can ask us to review the decision we made. We encourage you to raise your views with us directly; giving us feedback helps us to address any concerns you may have about our work. It also helps us to improve our processes to achieve good outcomes.
You can also make a complaint about how we dealt with your complaint to us or to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
What are my review rights relating to a decision by the Commission?
Once a complaint is finalised by the Commission, complainants and service providers have review rights if they are not satisfied with the outcome.
- Complainants can seek review by the Commissioner about a decision to take no further action or to end a resolution process
- Service providers can seek review about a decision to end a resolution process
You can ask us to reconsider our final decision, except in circumstances where:
- you chose to be anonymous
- you withdrew your complaint
- the complaint was frivolous (not made seriously), vexatious (made to intentionally cause disorder or stress), or not made in good faith
- we’ve already reviewed the decision.
We can tell you more about this when you contact us on 1800 500 294 or at complaintsreviews@agedcarequality.gov.au
How can I ask the Commission to review a decision?
You can only ask us to review a decision after a complaint process has been finalised. You must do so by making an application within 42 days of receiving our decision letter and your application must state the reasons why you are asking us to review the decision.
You can request us to review a decision by phoning us on 1800 500 294, by email to complaintsreviews@agedcarequality.gov.au or by post to GPO Box 9819, Melbourne, VIC 3001
What will we do with your request?
A review officer who was not involved in handling the original complaint will consider your request. We will initially review the original decision to see if it was right. If we think the decision may have been wrong, we will work with both parties to the complaint to complete a new resolution process. If we think the decision was right, we will not re-open your complaint. You will be advised of the outcome either way. We can review a decision only once.
Give feedback on how we dealt with your complaint
If you’re not happy with the way we dealt with your complaint, we welcome your feedback. We want to hear from you so we can learn and make our services better.
We encourage you to contact us first so we can try to address your concerns.
Contact us about your concerns
Phone: 1800 951 822
Web: Feedback about the Commission
Making a complaint to the Commonwealth Ombudsman
You also have the right to make a complaint to the Commonwealth Ombudsman. Their role is to make sure we are fair and follow proper processes.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman does not have the power to change our decision, but they can make recommendations. These can be about how we should have acted or what we can do to improve our processes.
Contact the Ombudsman
Phone: 1300 362 072
Web: ombudsman.gov.au
Write: Commonwealth Ombudsman
GPO Box 442
Canberra ACT 2601
Looking for more information?
If you’re still unsure about your review rights call us on 1800 500 294 and ask to speak to a review manager. You can also email us at complaintsreviews@agedcarequality.gov.au.
