Complaints and feedback

Before you submit a complaint

You have the right to ask for a review if you don’t agree with a decision we’ve made. Read about Reviews and appeals for more information.

Complaints if you haven’t met your mutual obligations requirements

Mutual obligation requirements are tasks or activities you agree to do while you get some payments from us. Penalties may apply if you don’t meet them.

If you’ve not met your mutual obligation requirements, your payment may be suspended.

The quickest way to get it restarted is to meet your re-engagement requirements. If you’re not sure of what to do, check the notice from your employment service provider in your account.

If you need help you can call:

• your employment services provider, if you have one
• the Digital Services Contact Centre if you’re in Workforce Australia Online
• call us on your regular payment line.

Financial penalties

Financial penalties may apply to job seekers who:

• get a payment with mutual obligation requirements
• are with employment service providers such as Workforce Australia or Inclusive Employment Australia.

If you disagree with a penalty and want to contact us, you can find out more at:

• Parenting Payment
• JobSeeker Payment
• Youth Allowance for job seekers.

Complaints about employment services providers

The Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) manages payment suspensions, demerits, employment services providers and Workforce Australia Online. Read more about these providers on the Workforce Australia website.

If you need to lodge a complaint, they have a process and factsheet to help you. Read more about the Employment Services and Pre-Employment Services complaints process and their factsheet on the DEWR website.

If your complaint is about another agency, government department or non-government organisation, please send your feedback to them.

How to make a complaint, suggestion or compliment

If you want to make a complaint or give us a suggestion or compliment, you can call us on our Feedback and Complaints line.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a communication difficulty you can use the National Relay Service (NRS).

To contact us through the NRS:

Call through your preferred NRS call channel on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website.

Give the NRS our phone number 1800 132 468.

Learn more about the National Relay Service on the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts website.

If you use assistive technology, you can call us on our free direct-call TTY service on 1800 810 586. A tele-typewriter phone is required to access this service.

If you’re overseas, you can call us on one of our international phone numbers.

Let us know if you need an interpreter and we will arrange one for free.

You can also write to us online or send us a letter. Postage is free from within Australia.

Please keep in mind, if you provide feedback or complaints to us in writing, it may take us longer to respond.

If you’re a business or health professional, you can also give us feedback or make a complaint. Please use the specific options available for you.

What we need from you

Please be clear, factual, and tell us the outcome you’d like. Providing your name and contact details will help us to get in touch and help resolve the issue. If you provide feedback anonymously, we won’t be able to respond to you personally.

Our commitment to you

We aim to resolve complaints within 10 working days.

This may include:

• a review of your records
• what we’ll do if we find an error
• advice about next steps
• an apology.

If we can’t resolve your complaint, we’ll explain why and let you know your other options available.

If we need to contact you, it’ll be from a private number.