Complaints we can help you with

We manage complaints about most NSW government agencies, including:

• NSW Ambulance
• NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
• NSW Department of Communities and Justice (Housing)
• NSW Department of Education
• NSW Fair Trading
• Fire and Rescue NSW
• NSW Health Care Complaints Commission
• Land and Housing Corporation
• Legal Aid Commission
• Public hospitals
• Revenue NSW
• Service NSW
• State-owned corporations
• Statutory bodies (including arts institutions)
• TAFE NSW
• Transport for NSW
• NSW Treasury
• NSW Trustee and Guardian

Common complaints include:

• Unreasonable complaint handling action or inaction
• Inconsistent application of policy
• Failure to adequately explain reasons for decisions
• Lack of timely action to address repair requests or public tenancy issues
• Poor customer service
• failure to consider reasonable hardship claims when recovering debt or developing payment plans.

You can follow this step-by-step guide on How to make a complaint.

We manage complaints about local councils in NSW. 

Common complaints include:

• Failure to respond appropriately to allegations of unlawful activity, non-compliance with development consent conditions, or other enforcement type matters
• inconsistent application of policy
• unreasonable complaint handling action or inaction
• failure to consider reasonable hardship claims when recovering debt or developing payment plans.

We cannot amend or revoke development consents, or tell a consent authority how to make decisions.

This fact sheet may help you when dealing with councils:

• Having trouble with unlawful development activity?

We manage complaints about:

• The Department of Community and Justice (DCJ)
• Some non-government service providers

Common complaints include:

• child protection and family support services
• early intervention services
• leaving care or after care
• neighbourhood and community centres
• NSW Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ)
• out-of-home care including foster care, kinship care and intensive therapeutic care (ITC)
• feeling unsafe
• not knowing what support is available
• quality of food and nutrition in out of home care placements
• difficulty accessing education and training programs
• reporting serious accidents and incidents
• how complaints are handled.
• not getting the right support or training
• not getting financial help
• difficulty accessing specialist services for children
• a lack of support for foster children to maintain contact with their family and culture
• caseworkers not responding to complaints
• a lack of explanation on how to comply with a DCJ safety plan.

We cannot handle complaints about child support. You should contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

You can follow this step-by-step guide on How to make a complaint.

We manage complaints about:

• Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network
• NSW Corrective Services
• private correctional centres (such as Junee, Parklea and Clarence)

Common complaints include:

• not being treated properly or fairly
• unreasonable decisions, for example, restricted visits or contact with family and friends
• delays in receiving services or information
• not being able to access activities, programs or information
• personal belongings being misplaced or lost when moving within or between centres
• issues with daily routine, such as the amount of recreation time
• assault or excessive use of force.

People in custody can also complain to us about other NSW government agencies, including Revenue NSW and Department of Education.

We cannot handle complaints about NSW Police. For these types of complaints, you can contact the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

You can follow this step-by-step guide on How to make a complaint.

Find out more about:

• How to make a complaint about Corrective Services
• How to make a complaint about Youth Justice

We manage complaints about homelessness services run or funded by the NSW Government such as:

• refuges for women, young people, families and men
• crisis accommodation
• youth homelessness services.

Common complaints include:

• feeling unsafe
• being told to leave the service but you don’t know why.

You can follow this step-by-step guide on How to make a complaint.

People with a disability receiving services from NSW government agencies can complain to us about those agencies.

You can follow this step-by-step guide on How to make a complaint. If you need additional help making a complaint, contact us or see Get help making a complaint.

We cannot handle complaints about registered or unregistered NDIS providers. Please contact the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

We manage complaints about:

• Justice Health and Forensic Mental Health Network
• NSW Corrective Services
• private correctional centres (such as Junee, Parklea and Clarence)

Common complaints include:

• not being treated properly or fairly
• unreasonable decisions. For example, restricted visits or contact with family and friends
• delays in receiving services or information
• not being able to access activities, programs or information
• personal belongings being misplaced or lost when moving within or between centres
• issues with daily routine, such as the amount of recreation time
• assault or excessive use of force.

People in custody can also complain to us about other NSW government agencies, including Revenue NSW and Department of Education.

We cannot handle complaints about NSW Police. For these types of complaints, you can contact the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission.

You can follow this step-by-step guide on How to make a complaint.

Find out more about:

• How to make a complaint about Corrective Services
• How to make a complaint about Youth Justice

We can handle complaints about:

• NSW Department of Education
• NSW public schools
• NSW public universities
• TAFE NSW.

Common complaints we receive include:

• Unreasonable complaint handling or inaction
• Inconsistent application of policy in relation
• Failure to adequately explain reasons for decisions

We cannot handle complaints about:

• private schools
• private universities including the Australian Catholic University and University of Notre Dame
• universities based in other states or countries.

You can contact the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA).

You can follow this step-by-step guide on How to make a complaint.