Complaints

The Complaint Management Procedure will apply if the concern or area of dissatisfaction raised by a student is not otherwise covered by the University’s existing review/appeal processes or reporting procedures. For example, should a student be dissatisfied with a matter affecting their academic standing (exclusion, academic progress, grades), it is not addressed through the Complaint Management Procedure but through the already available review and appeal options.

For more information the available review and appeal options, refer to the Appeals page.

Should your concern or area of dissatisfaction be directed at a fellow Macquarie student or student organisation, such a matter is administered by the University as a potential breach of the expected standard of conduct by the respondent student or student organisation and is handled under the student conduct framework.

If your concern or area of dissatisfaction alleges inappropriate conduct by a Macquarie student or student organisation, go to Student Conduct for information on notifying the University.

Should a matter involve allegations of sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual harassment) you are also encouraged to access the dedicated support services and reporting avenues available at www.mq.edu.au/respect.

Appendix 2a to the Complaint Management Procedure shows that complaints raised by students are considered and resolution is sought via a series of escalating levels; beginning with attempts at a prompt and informal resolution.

There are times when the complainant may feel uncomfortable about approaching the member of Staff or Relevant Person most directly concerned (ie. informal resolution), particularly if the complaint is serious or involves that particular member of Staff or Relevant Person. In such a situation the complainant may directly escalate their complaint to a Formal Complaint.

Should the matter involve allegations of sexual misconduct (ie. sexual assault, sexual harassment) you are also encouraged to access the dedicated support services and reporting avenues available at mq.edu.au/respect.

An informal resolution is more likely to ensure prompt resolution as your matter may have arisen from a misunderstanding or error that can be easily fixed.

A complainant:

• may raise an issue informally at any time, either face to face, by telephone, by email or in writing.
• should give full details about their problem or concern when they first raise it.
• advise their preferred way of resolving the issue. This will help the member of Staff or Relevant Person to ensure the problem or concern is dealt with under the correct process.

There are times when the complainant may feel uncomfortable about approaching the member of Staff or Relevant Person most directly concerned, particularly if the complaint involves that particular member of Staff or Relevant Person.

If a student is anxious about raising the issue with the Staff or Relevant Person directly, they should raise the complaint with the relevant area supervisor, another senior member in the organisational unit or directly engage a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor for a supported informal resolution of the complaint.

An informal resolution is more likely to ensure prompt resolution as your matter may have arisen from a misunderstanding or error that can be easily fixed.

Complainants may raise an issue informally at any time, either face to face, by telephone, by email or in writing with the Relevant Person most directly concerned.

When seeking an informal resolution, you should:

• identify yourself, clearly define the matter of concern, promptly provide all relevant and available information and articulate the desired outcome
• raise your concern with the relevant area supervisor or another senior member in the organisational unit if you're anxious about raising the issue with the person directly
• co-operate fully and in good faith with those considering and resolving the matter.

In attempting to resolve the complaint informally, the Relevant Person may:

• discuss the issue with the complainant informally and include explanations of any relevant policies, procedures, a decision or conduct
• consult with and/or refer the matter to a more relevant University member of Staff or area
• consult with and/or refer the complainant to relevant University support services
• seek the assistance of relevant University support services (a member of Staff or Relevant Person may engage relevant employee assistance)
• arrange for an informal discussion by senior staff with the person most directly concerned and provide an outline of the issue identified by a complainant
• arrange a meeting led by senior staff between the complainant and the person most directly concerned and/or other Relevant Person(s)
• record any discussions (for example, an email to the complainant outlining the reasons for a decision and any suggested referrals or recommended actions)
• refer the complaint to alternate review and/or appeal procedures should, for example, the issue relate to matters such as academic exclusion or academic standing (eg. grade reviews and unit withdrawals without penalty); or any other more applicable University review/appeal option or reporting procedure.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your own attempts at informal resolution, you may directly engage a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor for a supported informal resolution of the complaint.

There are times when the complainant may feel uncomfortable about approaching the member of Staff or Relevant Person most directly concerned (informal resolution), particularly if the complaint is serious or involves that particular member of Staff or Relevant Person. In such a situation, the complainant may directly escalate their complaint to a Formal Complaint. Should the matter involve allegations of sexual misconduct (sexual assault, sexual harassment), you are also encouraged to access the dedicated support services and reporting avenues available at mq.edu.au/respect.

You may have attempted an Informal Resolution and approached the person most directly concerned (and/or their supervisor), engaged a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor for additional support; yet remain dissatisfied with the outcome.

In these circumstances (and if further resolution is sought) you may escalate the unresolved matter and seek a formal resolution by lodging a Formal Complaint to the Registrar using the Complaints and Misconduct Reporting Portal which will require information such as:

• your name and contact details
• nature and basis for the complaint with relevant supporting material
• informal resolution efforts to date
• details of why you are not satisfied with the efforts or outcome to date
• desired outcome(s) now sought.

A student should engage a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor to assist with the preparation and submission of a Formal Complaint.

A: Having escalated the matter to a formal resolution by submitting through the Complaints and Misconduct Reporting Portal, the Formal Complaint will be assessed and you will receive a response as soon as possible outlining either:

• the formal acceptance of the Formal Complaint
• a request for further information/clarification
• a request for further attempts at informal resolution with referral to a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor
• the decision not to act on the Formal Complaint considered frivolous or vexatious
• that the matter or aspects of the matter are better handled by an alternate University process(es) with referral to the alternate process(es).

When the Formal Complaint has been accepted (the University is satisfied the Formal Complaint is to be progressed under the Complaint Management Procedure), a Decision-Maker will appoint an Investigator to undertake an investigation of the Formal Complaint and to complete an Investigation Report.

At this time, the Investigator will inform you of the role of the Investigator, anticipated timelines and available support options.

Student Advocacy and Support may:

• accompany a student complainant to any required meetings with the Investigator (ie. advocating on behalf of, and conferring with, the complainant as required)
• refer the complainant to Allied Health Professionals (ie. Student Counsellors, Welfare Officers) in Student Wellbeing as considered appropriate.

At the completion of the investigation, the Investigator will prepare an Investigation Report that includes:

• the findings
• any associated recommendations for action
• brief statement of reasons
• the review process undertaken
• further appeal and support options available to the participants
• if relevant, recommendation(s) for mediation or further specialist review to be accompanied by details including revised timelines.

The Investigator will provide a completed Investigation Report to the Decision-Maker and provide clarification to the relevant parties regarding the Investigation process as required.

The Decision-Maker will review the Investigation Report produced by the Investigator and determine the University’s response to your Formal Complaint and notify you accordingly.

The range of actions that the Decision-Maker may take in response to the outcome of the investigation will depend on the nature of the complaint, the findings and recommendations made by the Investigator and any other actions available arising from policies and procedures, contracts and any other instruments which may bind the University.

You may have attempted a formal resolution by submitting through the Complaints and Misconduct Reporting Portal and subsequently had an Investigation conducted and a response from the University Decision-Maker; yet remain dissatisfied with an aspect of the University’s complaint handling process.

Referral to an external agency

A student complainant may, at any stage, refer their complaint to an external agency. Where this occurs, the University may decide to suspend or cease any internal process pending external Investigation.

If a student complainant is dissatisfied with the University’s handling of their Complaint, there are a number of external sources of advice or review including, the following agencies:

• The Human Rights Commission
• The New South Wales Anti-Discrimination Board
• The New South Wales Ombudsman
• The New South Wales Auditor General
• The New South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption
• The Information and Privacy Commission

A student complainant should promptly inform the University of any referrals made to external bodies in respect of a complaint and engage respectfully with University staff and adhere to associated procedures if requesting information from the University in support of such applications.

A Student Advocacy and Support Advisor may:

• where the student wishes to escalate the issue to an external agency, assist the student, as appropriate, with information provision and associated contact details
• refer the student to Allied Health Professionals (ie. Student Counsellors, Welfare Officers) in Student Wellbeing as considered appropriate.

You have the responsibility to co-operate fully and in good faith with those considering and attempting to resolve your complaint including:

• providing requested documentation and all relevant information otherwise available
• remaining open to suggested options for resolution
• engaging respectfully with those concerned
• acting in accordance with the principles of the Complaint Management Procedure.

If a Formal Complaint through our Complaints and Misconduct Reporting Portal is brought more than 12 months after the event complained of, the complainant will need to show cause to the Registrar as to why the complaint should be considered after this delay.

The time it takes for a complaint to be considered and resolved will vary due to the nature of the complaint and the availability of relevant information and the individuals concerned.

The majority of complaints will be informally resolved at the local level with the person most directly concerned. Complaints resolved in this way tend to be resolved earlier than otherwise possible.

Should you need to seek a formal resolution by lodging a Formal Complaint using the Complaints and Misconduct Reporting Portal, resolution may take some weeks (or months) depending upon the complexity, the availability of relevant parties and the level of Investigation Report required.

You will be kept informed of the progress of your complaint including anticipated timelines via your official student email address.

Student Advocacy and Support can give students free independent advice and advocacy at any time during the resolution of their complaint.

Below are examples of the various ways that the Student Advocacy and Support can assist students during complaint handling and resolution.

Informal Resolution

In attempting to informally resolve your matter with the person most directly concerned, a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor may informally act between you and the other person to identify options and strategies for resolution, open avenues for communication and generally advocate on your behalf.

Formal Resolution

Should you seek a formal resolution by lodging a Formal Complaint using the Complaints and Misconduct Reporting Portal, a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor may assist you in preparing and submitting your Formal Complaint, accompanying you to any meetings with the Investigator and clarifying any associated issues.

External Review

Should you refer a matter to an external agency, a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor may assist you with information provision and associated contact details as required.

As outlined above, a student should engage a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor to assist with them at any time during the handling and resolution of their complaint.

The University will not normally act on anonymous complaints under the Complaints Management Procedure but may do so depending upon the nature of the complaint and there being sufficient information for Investigation and/or there being a statutory requirement for Investigation.

Should the University act on an anonymous complaint under the Complaints Management Procedure, the University cannot guarantee the anonymity of the complainant due to the identity of the complainant often being deduced from the nature of the complaint and/or external avenues through which affected parties may ultimately gain access to the identity of the complainant.

You may withdraw your complaint at any stage of the complaint process. Any withdrawal must be by you in writing, although the University may accept a withdrawal verbally in extenuating circumstances.

In most circumstances, the University will deem your complaint resolved, however, the University may determine the complaint serious enough for an Investigation to continue or referral to an External Agency.

A student may engage a Student Advocacy and Support Advisor to discuss this available option and to assist in the withdrawal of a complaint if needed.

Formal Complaints will be recorded and stored centrally at the University.

As with all student and other records at the University, the University staff are required to treat such matters with appropriate confidentiality and discretion.

The resolution of your complaint may involve broader access by University staff to some aspects of the information and this is done on a 'need-to-know' basis to minimise the number of individuals who will see your complaint unless otherwise required by the law.

If you have concerns about the confidentiality of the information you are providing, you should contact Student Advocacy and Support to discuss the issues involved.

In attempting to resolve your matter locally with the person most directly concerned or their immediate supervisor/manager you should:

• identify yourself
• clearly define the matter of concern
• promptly provide all relevant and available information
• articulate your desired outcome(s).

Although representing a relatively informal attempt to resolve your matter, co-operation and information sharing with those considering and attempting to resolve the matter may better ensure a prompt informal resolution.

Should you seek a formal resolution by lodging a Formal Complaint using the Complaints and Misconduct Reporting Portal, and the matter is accepted as a Formal Complaint by the University Decision-Maker under the Complaints Management Procedure; the person(s) against whom you have lodged the Formal Complaint will receive your Formal Complaint during the Investigation phase.

This allows the Respondent to your Formal Complaint the opportunity to respond effectively; as the Respondent will know the nature of the Formal Complaint and have access to any supporting material.