Your feedback is welcomed and valuable. Whether you are making a suggestion, giving a compliment or making a complaint, your feedback is key to improving our services.
You can give feedback about:
- the conduct or quality of the service you have received from QCAT staff
- QCAT’s processes or procedures
- our services and facilities.
QCAT decisions
We cannot investigate complaints about a decision by a QCAT member or adjudicator, including their decision on how to run a hearing or what they took into consideration when making a decision.
Making a complaint about a Member WILL NOT change the decision or result of your matter. Due to the principle of judicial independence, the President cannot direct or influence, or seek to direct or influence, any of QCAT’s Members as to how to decide matters before them.
If you disagree or are dissatisfied with the decision or outcome in your case, you are encouraged to seek independent legal advice about your options, including any appeal rights you may have. General information about QCAT appeals can be found on our website at Appealing a QCAT decision.
If you have a complaint about the conduct of a QCAT member or adjudicator in connection with the performance of their duties please see the information below.
Give a compliment or make a suggestion
If you have had a positive experience with us or think we could improve our services, please let us know. To give a compliment or make a suggestion, please fill out our feedback form below.
Make a complaint - about the registry
If you have a complaint about QCAT registry staff or our services, please take the following steps:
A QCAT Officer will discuss your issue with you and aim to resolve it the same day. Contact details and operating hours are available here. If submitting in writing please Include your full name and case number (if applicable) in all correspondence. Please note, processing times of up to 10 days may apply.
If unresolved, ask to speak with a supervisor. They will review and respond by phone or in writing within 1–2 business days or advise if more time is needed.
If your issue remains unresolved, submit a complaint using the form below. A different supervisor will investigate and respond. We aim to acknowledge complaints within 5 business days and respond within 30, or longer if complex.
If you are unable to access the online form you can use the following:
- QCAT complaint form (PDF) – use this form ONLY to make a complaint about QCAT registry staff and our services.
- Child-friendly complaint form (Word) – use this form if you are a child or young person in care and are unhappy about something that has happened at QCAT.
For registry complaints, we will aim to acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days. Depending on the type and complexity of your complaint, a full response may take some time.
Please note that it may be several weeks, or longer, before you receive an acknowledgement and/or response to your complaint.
Make a complaint - about a member or adjudicator
If you have a complaint about the conduct of a QCAT member or adjudicator in connection with the performance of their duties, please:
- Read the QCAT Tribunal complaints policy and procedure (PDF File, 347 KB)
- Follow the policy’s procedure for making a complaint
- Do not, in any circumstances, telephone or send an SMS or other electronic text message directly to the President.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Please note that it may be several weeks, or longer, before you receive an acknowledgement and/or response to your complaint.
- If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your case, please note that strict timelines apply to when you need to lodge your appeal or application for reopening. If you are intending to appeal or file an application for reopening, you should not wait for a response to your complaint before filing an appeal or application for reopening: you need to comply with the timelines. (For further information about this, see below)
Please also note that:
- making a complaint about a Member WILL NOT change the decision or result of your matter. Due to the principle of judicial independence, the President cannot direct or influence, or seek to direct or influence, any of QCAT’s Members as to how to decide matters before them.
- If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your matter and:
- (a) You have a proper basis to appeal, (for example, a denial of procedural fairness), you can lodge an appeal or application for leave to appeal. There are strict time limits to when an appeal or application for leave to appeal can be made. To find out more about appealing a QCAT decision, see our website for further information. If you intend to file an appeal, DO NOT WAIT FOR A RESPONSE TO YOUR COMPLAINT BEFORE DOING SO. If you wait, you may find yourself outside the time limit to lodge an appeal or application for leave to appeal.
- (b) You have a proper basis to reopen your matter pursuant to section 138 of the QCAT Act. You can make an application to reopen your matter*. The most common type of application for reopening is when a matter proceeded in a party’s absence and the party was not sent a Notice of Hearing. There are strict time limits to when an application for reopening can be made. If you intend to make an application for reopening, DO NOT WAIT FOR A RESPONSE TO YOUR COMPLAINT BEFORE DOING SO. If you wait, you may find yourself outside the time limit to lodge an application for reopening.
*Note also that a party cannot make an application for reopening under section 138 of the QCAT Act when the decision is the subject of an appeal or an application for leave to appeal under Part 8 of the QCAT Act, whether or not the appeal or application for leave to appeal has been decided.
To find out more about reopening a QCAT matter, see our website for further information.