Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedures

Who this document applies to

This document applies to Edway Training Pty Ltd (RTO 91401). In this document, "we", "us" and "the RTO" mean the entity that delivers and certifies your course — the issuing RTO is shown on the course page and on your enrolment confirmation.

Purpose

This policy sets out how we receive, manage and resolve feedback, complaints and appeals in a way that is fair, timely and transparent. It supports compliance with the 2025 Outcome Standards for RTOs, in particular Standard 2.7 (feedback and complaints) and Standard 2.8 (appeals).

Scope

This policy applies to:

• prospective, current and former students of the RTO;
• employers, workplace supervisors and other people who deal with the RTO; and
• people acting on behalf of a student with the student's consent, including parents or guardians of students under 18.

You may make a complaint about the RTO, about any third party delivering services on our behalf, and about any person we employ or contract. A student may appeal any decision made by any of these parties that affects them adversely.

Three kinds of matter are handled under other procedures. This policy still applies to any complaint about the way one of them was handled.

• Concerns about the safety or wellbeing of a child or young person must be reported immediately under the Child Safe Policy and Procedure.
• Possible criminal conduct is referred to the police.
• Staff employment grievances are managed under our human resources procedures.

What feedback and complaints may be about

You may provide feedback or make a complaint about:

• the RTO;
• any third party; or
• any person employed or contracted by the RTO.

Responsibility

• The CEO is accountable for this policy. The CEO decides formal complaints and appeals, unless they have a conflict of interest. The CEO makes sure independent review is available and that outcomes are acted on.
• The Compliance Manager implements this policy, trains staff, keeps the Complaints and Appeals Register, analyses and reports trends, and reviews this policy. The Compliance Manager decides any complaint or appeal that concerns the CEO.
• Trainers, assessors and all staff know this policy, help people raise concerns, record informal and verbal complaints, and cooperate fully with investigations.
• Third parties are informed of this policy and must follow it. They must refer any complaint or appeal they receive about our services to us within 2 working days.

Key principles

• Accessible. Information is easy to find and the process is simple. You can complain or appeal in writing, by email, by phone or in person. Help is available to anyone who needs it.
• Free. There is no cost to make a complaint or an appeal, or to ask for independent review.
• Fair. Every complaint and appeal is handled with procedural fairness, also called natural justice. That means:
  • everyone involved knows what the complaint or appeal is about and what evidence is being relied on;
  • everyone involved has a reasonable chance to respond, and may bring a support person;
  • the person deciding the matter is unbiased and was not involved in the original matter or decision;
  • decisions are based on relevant evidence, and the reasons are given in writing;
  • matters are handled confidentially and no one is victimised; and
  • matters are handled within the timeframes in this policy.
• Timely. Matters are handled within the timeframes set out below, and we tell you if there is a delay.
• Confidential and safe. Information is handled in line with our Privacy Policy and Procedure. No one is victimised or disadvantaged for raising a concern.
• No disadvantage to your enrolment. Your enrolment continues while your complaint or appeal is being handled.
• Transparent. Outcomes and the reasons for them are given in writing.
• Improvement-focused. We use feedback, complaints and appeals to improve our services.

Definitions

• Feedback: comments, suggestions or compliments about our services that do not need a formal response.
• Complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction about the RTO, a third party, or a person employed or contracted by the RTO, including their services, conduct, decisions or processes.
• Appeal: a request for a decision to be reviewed and changed.
• Adverse decision: a decision that affects a student negatively, such as an assessment result, a refusal of recognition of prior learning (RPL), or a decision about fees or enrolment.
• Procedural fairness: a fair process in which people know the issue, can respond, and have the matter decided by an unbiased person on the evidence. It is also known as natural justice.
• Independent party: a person or organisation that we do not employ or contract, and that has no other involvement or interest in the matter or in our operations.
• Third party: any person or organisation with an arrangement to deliver services on our behalf.
• Working day: Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in the state or territory where your course is delivered.

Getting support to complain

This policy is published on our website and in the Student Handbook, and the Complaint and Appeal Form is available on request. How to give feedback, make a complaint or lodge an appeal is also covered in pre-enrolment information and at induction. Copies are available on request, including in other formats.

We will support anyone who wants to give feedback, make a complaint or lodge an appeal. For example:

• a staff member can write down a verbal complaint and read it back to you to check it is right;
• you may bring a support person or an advocate to any meeting;
• we can arrange an interpreter through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450;
• we make reasonable adjustments for people with disability; and
• students under 18 may be supported by a parent, guardian or other trusted adult.

Feedback

We seek feedback from students, employers and staff through course evaluation surveys, employer feedback, conversations with trainers, and at any other time. You can give feedback to any staff member or by email. The Compliance Manager records and reviews feedback and uses it to improve our services.

Informal resolution

Many concerns can be sorted out quickly by talking to the trainer or staff member involved. This is Stage 1, and it is optional.

Staff will try to resolve the matter within 5 working days and will record it in the Complaints and Appeals Register.

You can skip this stage and make a formal complaint at any time. That is often the better course if your complaint is about your trainer, or if it is serious or sensitive.

Formal complaint procedure

A formal complaint is Stage 2. These are the steps.

1. Lodge. Complete the Complaint and Appeal Form, or contact the CEO by email, by phone or in person. A complaint about the CEO goes to the Compliance Manager. If you tell us verbally, staff will write your complaint down for you.
2. Record. We enter the complaint in the Complaints and Appeals Register within 1 working day of receiving it.
3. Acknowledge. You receive a written acknowledgement within 2 working days. It explains the process, who will decide the matter, and how long it should take.
4. Check for conflicts. The decision-maker declares any conflict of interest. If the complaint concerns the CEO, the Compliance Manager handles it; if it concerns the Compliance Manager, the CEO handles it. If both are involved or conflicted, the matter goes to an independent party.
5. Investigate. We tell the person or party you complained about, and give them an opportunity to respond. We gather relevant evidence and may interview people.
6. Decide and respond. You receive a written outcome within 10 working days of the day we received the complaint, with reasons and any actions we will take. We also tell the other parties to the complaint the outcome, as far as privacy allows.
7. Delays. If we need more time, we tell you in writing why and when to expect an outcome, and we update you at least every 10 working days. We aim to finish every complaint within 30 working days.
8. Act and improve. We carry out and record the agreed actions. Where the complaint shows something we could do better, we raise a Continuous Improvement Request.
9. Further action. If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can ask for it to be reviewed under the appeals steps below, including independent review. You can also use the external avenues listed further down.

Complaints about third parties

We remain responsible for services delivered on our behalf. A third party must refer any complaint about those services to us within 2 working days, and we handle it under this policy.

Appeals

An appeal is a request for a decision to be reviewed and changed.

What you can appeal

You can appeal any decision by the RTO, by a third party, or by a person we employ or contract, that affects you adversely. This includes decisions about:

• assessment outcomes, including a result of not yet competent;
• recognition of prior learning and credit transfer;
• requests for reasonable adjustments;
• enrolment, including advice about whether a course suits you;
• fees, charges and refunds;
• suspension or cancellation of enrolment, including decisions about misconduct; and
• the outcome of a formal complaint.

Internal appeal

1. Lodge. Lodge your appeal within 20 working days of being told of the decision. Use the Complaint and Appeal Form, or contact the CEO. We may accept a late appeal where there is a good reason. For an assessment appeal we encourage you to ask your assessor for feedback first, but you do not have to.
2. Record and acknowledge. We record the appeal in the Complaints and Appeals Register and acknowledge it in writing within 2 working days.
3. Appoint a reviewer. Your appeal is reviewed by someone who was not involved in the original decision.
4. Review. The reviewer considers all the relevant evidence, and hears from both you and the person who made the original decision.
5. Decide and respond. You receive a written outcome with reasons within 15 working days of the day we received the appeal. An appeal may be upheld (the decision is changed), partly upheld, or not upheld. If we need more time, the delay steps in the formal complaint procedure apply.
6. Act and improve. We carry out and record the outcome, and use it to improve our services.

Assessment appeals

An assessment appeal is reviewed by a different assessor. That assessor holds the credentials required for the assessment and has relevant industry competencies. They may review the original evidence or arrange a re-assessment.

You may continue your training while your appeal is being handled. The outcome is recorded in your student file.

Independent review

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of an internal appeal or a complaint review, you may ask for the matter to be reviewed by an independent party. This is Stage 3.

Ask within 20 working days of receiving the outcome. The review is carried out by an independent party who has had no involvement in the matter and has no interest in our operations, at no cost to you.

We act on the independent party's findings, and tell you in writing what we have done within 10 working days of receiving them.

Timeframes

A working day is Monday to Friday, excluding public holidays in the state or territory where your course is delivered.

External review

If a matter is not resolved through our own process, the organisations below may be able to help. Using them does not affect any other legal rights you have, including your rights under Australian Consumer Law.

Australia-wide

Victoria

New South Wales

Tasmania

Other states and territories

If your course was delivered in another state or territory, or online, contact your own state or territory consumer protection agency about consumer matters, and your own state or territory anti-discrimination body about discrimination, harassment or victimisation. The Australian Human Rights Commission, listed above, covers discrimination under federal law anywhere in Australia.

Records and privacy

We record all feedback, complaints and appeals in the Complaints and Appeals Register. The record includes the date we received the matter, who is involved, what it is about, who decided it, the dates of acknowledgement and outcome, the outcome and the reasons for it, the actions taken, and any Continuous Improvement Request raised.

Records are stored securely and access is limited to the people who need it. We handle personal information in line with our Privacy Policy and Procedure.

How to lodge a complaint or appeal

A Complaint and Appeal Form is available on request. On the form you indicate whether you are lodging a complaint, an appeal unrelated to assessment, or an assessment appeal. Complete it and give it to any staff member, or send it to the CEO using the contacts below. You may attach additional pages and any supporting information or evidence.

Any staff member can help you complete the form, or write down your complaint or appeal for you.

Contacts:

• Edway Training Pty Ltd: contact@edway.edu.au
• Phone: NSW 02 9357 6544 · Other states 03 9958 2900

Review and improvement

• We consider every complaint, appeal and item of feedback for improvement opportunities, and raise a Continuous Improvement Request where relevant.
• The Compliance Manager reviews the Complaints and Appeals Register at least quarterly for trends, and reports what they find to the CEO and the management meeting.
• Improvement actions are tracked in the Continuous Improvement Register until they are finished, and we check that they worked.
• We review this policy at least every two years, and sooner if the Standards or the law change, if complaints or appeals show a significant trend, or if an audit finds something.

Related documents: Student Handbook; Privacy Policy and Procedure; Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Policy and Procedure; Child Safe Policy and Procedure.