Complaints & Appeals

William Angliss Institute is committed to providing continuous improvement to all aspects of the lifecycle of a student.

Our commitment to our students is to provide a process that enables students to pursue concerns and grievances, and to ensure complainants are heard and respected, with individuals not being discriminated against or victimised.

We aim to ensure that all concerns and grievances are resolved fairly, promptly, objectively, with sensitivity and in complete confidentiality.

What is a grievance?

A grievance arises when an individual feels that they have no other avenue of redress available to them under the procedures of William Angliss Institute for what they consider to be unfair treatment.

Who can register a complaint / grievance?

A grievance may occur at any time during the lifecycle of a student and this process is available to all potential, current and past students.

What can I make a complaint / grievance about?

The Institute does not place any restrictions on what you can register a grievance for.  Examples are listed below however you are not limited to this list:

• Payment of fees;
• Access to personal records;
• Student charges;
• Enrolment, induction or orientation;
• Scholarships;
• Course transfers;
• Graduation;
• Use of personal information;
• The way you have been treated;
• Interactions with staff or students;
• Selection into a course;
• Progress within a course;
• Assessment;
• Curriculum; and
• Awards within a course

Lodging a complaint / grievance

The Institute has a registered staged framework for the management of complaints and grievances.  These stages are:

• Informal
• Formal
• Appeals

At each stage of the process you have the following available to you:

A written report of the reasons and a full explanation of the decisions and actions taken from that particular stage of the resolution process is available upon request.

At any point, you have access to the staff and counsellors within the student support services department.

You may also be accompanied by a support person/advocate that is not a legal practitioner.

And that nothing in this procedure limits your rights to take action under the Australian Consumer Protection Laws.

Informal

At this stage you do not need to register your concerns in writing as they are often concerns or queries that can be dealt with verbally between the individual and a member of staff, or if you are not comfortable with this process you can approach a senior member of staff within the department.

If your issue is dissatisfaction with an assessment result you do need to raise your concern within 10 working days from the date on which you received your result.

You will receive a response to your concern within 10 working days of when you first notified the staff member, although on occasions an extension of up to 5 days needs to be granted if additional time is needed.

Formal

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the informal resolution process you may submit a formal grievance in writing, this can be completed via email, letter or by completing the Institute’s complaint/grievance form.

You also have the option of lodging a formal complaint/grievance without completing the informal process.

During the formal proceedings your complaint will be assessed by a senior member of staff, either a Centre Manager or Program Leader, the information provided will be reviewed and you may need to attend meetings during this process. An outcome will be provided in writing within 10 working days.

Strict confidentiality is adhered to throughout the process.

Appeals

A complainant has the right to appeal the outcome of a formal review on one or more of the following grounds:

•     the case was not heard on its merits
•     you are able to provide new evidence that was not provided at the time of the formal review
•     a procedural irregularity occurred in the formal proceedings.

If you feel you have grounds for an appeal you will need to lodge your request in writing within 10 working days of receiving the decision from the formal proceedings.

All requests for appeals need to be in writing.

Once completed you can submit it to

Email: info@angliss.edu.au
Mail: Information Centre. P.O. Box 4052, Melbourne 3000

During the formal proceedings your appeal will be assessed by a senior member of staff, the information provided will be reviewed and you may need to attend meetings during this process.

During the appeal proceedings your complaint will be assessed by either the Director of Education or the Director of Student Recruitment and Services, the information provided will be reviewed and you may need to attend meetings during this process. An outcome will be provided in writing within 10 working days.

Unresolved Grievances

If you are not satisfied with the decision and the grievance remains unresolved you may refer the appeal to an external body for an external review of the decisions made.

The findings and recommendations of an external review will be submitted to the Institute and you will receive notification of the outcomes and recommended actions to resolve the grievance.

If a grievance still remains unresolved after the external dispute resolution process, you may decide to refer the matter to an external agency such as the Victorian Ombudsman.

External Agencies

The Victorian Ombudsman expects agencies to inform complainants of any external avenues of complaint or appeal if they remain dissatisfied with the outcome. These include:

• the Victorian Ombudsman
• specialist complaint bodies e.g. the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission if the complaint concerns discrimination, or the Health Services Commissioner if the complaint is about a health provider
• statutory rights of appeal such as merits review at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

If you are unhappy with the outcome of this process, you may wish to complain to the Ombudsman by completing the online complaint form at https://www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au/Complaints/Make-a-Complaint
or via the contact details below:

Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission


Level 3, 204 Lygon Street
Carlton VIC, 3053

T: 1300 292 153

TTY: 1300 289 621  

F: 1300 891 858

W: www.humanrightscommission.vic.gov.au