Refer to Annexure A for a summary of the Complaint resolution process.

Please note that this section applies to a Complaint which is not related to Discrimination or Sexual Harm. For all Discrimination related Complaints please refer to Part B.  For Sexual Harm please refer to the Student Sexual Harm Procedure.

Before making a complaint, a complainant is expected to try and resolve the concern directly and informally with the person or area involved, if it is reasonable and appropriate to do so.

To do this, the complainant should contact the relevant person and arrange a time to discuss the issue.

Student Advocacy can help assist students to clarify their issues, prepare for informal meetings and/or provide support at informal meetings.

Higher Degree by Research HDR Students

Higher Degree by Research students are encouraged to discuss their complaint directly with their supervisor, supervisory team or Higher Degree by Research Coordinator responsible for their course of study. If a conflict of interest exists, a complaint may be discussed directly with the Graduate Research School Student Complaints Officer.

Where the complaint relates to an administrative matter, such as space, resources, funding, or candidature processes, students are encouraged to discuss this matter directly with the Graduate Research School Student Complaints Officer or the Higher Degree by Research Team.

If the complainant  is unable to resolve the complaint informally, the complainant  can submit a formal (i.e. a Level 1 complaint via the online form - Complaints Reporting Form.

Within five (5) working days of the submission of a formal complaint, the Student Integrity Office will email the complainant to confirm:

The relevant staff member may take such steps that they believe may assist in resolving the concern. The steps may include:

Within twenty (20) working days’ of receiving the complaint, the relevant staff member will notify the complainant by email of the outcome and/or actions to be taken. This timeframe may be extended in certain circumstances and the complainant will be informed of any extended timeframes. Complex cases may take more time.

If a complainant is dissatisfied with the Level 1 Complaint outcome, they may request an escalation of their Complaint to Level 2. Escalation of a Complaint is subject to certain conditions: see ‘Grounds for Escalation’, set out below.

If the grounds for escalation are met, a  complainant may request an escalation of the complaint by emailing Student.Integrity@federation.edu.au within 20 working days of the date of letter informing the student of the Level 1 Complaint outcome received.

Student Advocacy can support students to identify grounds for escalation and support students to make the request.

Request to Escalate - Grounds for Escalation 

A complainant’s request to escalate a complaint must expressly state that the request is made on one or more of the following grounds:

Important: in each case, the complainant’s request to escalate must be supported by evidence  substantiating the grounds alleged. Such evidence can include, medical evidence, statutory declarations, police reports.

The Student Integrity Office will review the submission of the request to escalate the complaint and the relevant grounds for escalation and determine whether to accept or reject the escalation of the complaint.

The Student Integrity Office’s decision in respect of accepting or rejecting the escalation of a complaint will be based upon their determination that the documentation provided by the complainant has satisfied one or more of the grounds set out in paragraphs (a) – (d), above.

Determination of the request to escalate

Within five (5) working days of submission of the request to escalate the complaint, the Student Integrity Officer will inform the complainant whether that request has been granted. Where the request to escalate a complaint has been granted (Escalated Complaint), the Student Integrity Officer will email the complainant to confirm the name and title of the senior staff member appointed to deal with the escalated complaint.

If a complainant’s request to escalate a complaint is denied, the complainant may choose to pursue their complaint with an external organisation (refer to “External Review” below).

Investigation of the Escalated Complaint

The usual process for determining an escalated complaint is by the conduct of an investigation. A senior staff member, for the purposes of managing this process, usually an Dean or Executive Dean, a Director, a member of the Vice-Chancellor’s Senior Team or their nominee.

As part of the investigation process, the senior staff member may:

The Senior Staff Member must conduct an investigation and determine an appropriate outcome, based on their investigation within twenty (20) working days. The senior staff member will notify the complainant of the outcome of the escalated complaint, the reasons for the decision made and any steps that will be taken. Note that this timeframe may be extended in certain circumstances and the complainant will be informed of any extended timeframes. Complex cases may take more time.

The decision of the senior staff member is the final step in the student complaint process. If the complainant is a student and they are unhappy with the outcome of the senior staff member’s decision, it may be reviewed through the student appeal process under the Student Appeal Procedure, unless the senior staff member has determined that the complaint is frivolous, trivial or vexatious.

The student appeals process is not available to non-student complainants. Non-student complainants who wish to pursue their complaint after receiving a Level 2 complaint outcome can do so by seeking an external review (below).

Where appropriate, any staff member may nominate an alternative staff member to manage a Level 1 or 2 complaint on their behalf. The nominee will apply all applicable processes under this Procedure.

All parties have the right to a support person during any stage of the complaints process. The support person may be internal or external to the University and should not be legally trained, or if they are, not be acting in any legal capacity to represent them during the complaint process. A support person is primarily an observer and may speak where invited to do so by the person responsible for conducting the relevant meeting or discussion, or with the express consent of the student.

If a student identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, they have the right to an Aboriginal Success Support Officer as an additional advocate.

A person whose capacity for self-advocacy is impaired has the right to an advocate of their choice who is not legally trained, or if they are, who is not acting in any legal capacity to represent them during the complaint process. The right to an advocate speaking on behalf of a student at a hearing must be approved by the Chair.

Student Advocacy can act as an advocate to students involved in the complaints process.

The University has a number of services available to students who require support, and further information is also available at Support services.

All persons involved in the complaint process, including the support person(s), must maintain confidentiality and only discuss the complaint with persons who need to know in order to assist in the resolution of the complaint, during the complaint management process. This responsibility extends to the complainant, the respondent, their support persons and any advocate representing the complainant or respondent. Failure to maintain confidentiality may result in disciplinary or other action. This does not prevent any party from discussing the matter with any confidential support service.

Public interest disclosures, including complaints about the improper or corrupt conduct of University officers (within the meaning of the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012), must be made to the Independent Broad-based Anti- Corruption Commission (IBAC). Further information regarding public interest disclosures can be found in the University’s Public Interest Disclosures Procedure.

If a Complainant submits a complaint anonymously, the University might be limited in the actions it can take to resolve it. If the complainant does not provide relevant and current contact information, the University may not be able to provide a response to the complaint.

Every Complaint must be made in Good Faith and must include all relevant facts to assist the University to resolve it. The University is committing to making a genuine attempt to resolve Complaints. Inappropriate language and behaviours, or misuse of the Complaints process, can may lead to disciplinary action, see Student Misconduct Procedure. This Procedure will be applied in a consistent and fair manner. The University will not tolerate retributive actions or the Victimisation of a person who raises a concern or Complaint in Good Faith.

Complainants should take steps to address their concerns as soon as possible and, where appropriate, at an informal level (see further, below). While the University does not set a time limit for the making of a complaint, each complaint should be made as promptly as possible. In the case of students, the complaint should  relate to issues arising from the period of the student’s admission to, or enrolment at, the University.

The University will endeavour to respond in a prompt manner, in accordance with its own internal timelines. If a staff member cannot meet the relevant resolution timeframe, the complainant will be notified of this, along with the reasons for the delay and an estimated timeframe in which they can expect to receive a response.

As time passes, complaints can become very difficult to resolve and, in some circumstances, the University may determine that a complaint has been submitted too late to be considered and acted upon.

Complaints about the administrative actions and decisions of the University may be made to the Victorian Ombudsman. Refer to the Ombudsman Victoria website for further information. Students studying in another State may make a complaint to the equivalent office in that State. The relevant Ombudsman in each state can be found by clicking on the below links:

Complainants may also access other external organisations such as the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission and the Australian Human Rights Commission. Students can discuss their external review options with Student Advocacy.

Monitoring, reporting and review will occur with the purpose of reducing complaint instance rates and addressing underlying causes. Regular reporting will assist with the identification of recurring complaints or systemic issues.

The Director Student Services and Registrar will generate de-identified reports from student complaint data for consideration by senior staff, the Vice Chancellor’s Senior Team and by the University’s Audit and Risk Management Committee on a bi-annual basis.