Complaints and Appeals
Policy · Learnivation Pty Ltd · RTO 45570
Complaints and Appeals Policy and Procedure
How learners, families, partners and the public raise a concern, and how we respond fairly and on time.
1. Why this matters
A complaint is the quickest way to find out what we could do better and, sometimes, the only way we find out that a learner is not safe. Standards 2.6 and 2.7 of the Standards for RTOs 2025 require us to have accessible, fair and timely processes for complaints and for appeals against assessment decisions, and to use what we learn. This document is that process. It replaces our 2021 policy, removes the requirement that a complainant pay for an independent review, adds firm timeframes, and brings in our partners and the young people and families in our programs.
Our commitments: making a complaint or appeal is easy and free, and can be done in whatever way suits the person; every one is taken seriously, handled with natural justice and procedural fairness, and kept as private as the circumstances allow; safety comes before process; nobody is treated worse for raising a concern in good faith; and we record, report and learn from every one.
1.1 Definitions
A complaint is any expression of dissatisfaction with Learnivation, a program, our people, a partner or its personnel while in our programs, a work-experience host, or the way we have handled personal information, where a response is wanted. An appeal is a request to review a decision Learnivation has made, most often an assessment outcome (Competent / Not Yet Competent, or an RPL decision), but also decisions about enrolment, fees, deferral, withdrawal or recognition of credit. Feedback that needs no response is welcome and recorded for our reviews. A concern about a learner’s safety is more than a complaint: the Child Safe Policy applies first and this procedure runs alongside.
2. How to make a complaint or appeal
Anyone can complain, on their own behalf or through someone they trust: a parent, friend, advocate or support worker. Learners under 18 do not need a parent’s permission to complain, and we involve their parent unless the learner asks us not to and it is safe to respect that. Complaints can be made anonymously, though that can limit what we can do.
| Channel | Details |
|---|---|
| In person | To any learning coach, trainer, mentor, or partner staff member at any session, workshop, event or placement. They write it down and pass it to the CEO within two business days, or the same day if it involves safety. |
| Phone | Danielle Duncan, CEO — 0412 557 088 |
| [email protected] | |
| Online | Use the complaint and appeal form at the end of this page, or contact us through the portal (learn.learnivation) |
| If the complaint is about the CEO | To Zuzana Vachalek, Operations ([email protected]), who arranges for an independent person to handle it. |
| Through a partner | Complaints made to Bootstraps, Cultivate the Chaos, STUFFit or CABA Progressive are passed to Learnivation within two business days. Partners do not resolve complaints about training, assessment, fees or Learnivation’s conduct in our place. |
2.1 Appeals against assessment decisions
A learner who believes an assessment decision is wrong or unfair should talk first with their learning coach or assessor, who explains the decision against the marking guide and benchmark. If the learner is still not satisfied, they lodge an appeal within 14 days of receiving the outcome (later where there is a good reason). Lodging an appeal never affects a learner’s enrolment or how they are treated. A learner may also ask for reassessment or a second attempt at any time as part of ordinary feedback; RPL candidates are invited to expand their evidence in a second attempt or a competency conversation before any decision is treated as final.
2.2 What helps
What happened, when and where, who was involved, what the person has already done about it, and what outcome they hope for. For an appeal: which assessment task or decision, and why the learner believes it should be reviewed. The form at the end of this document can be used but is not required.
3. What we do with a complaint
| Step | What happens | Who | By when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Receive and record | Entered in the Complaints Register (date, who, summary, outcome sought). A verbal complaint is read back or sent to the person to confirm. | Receiver → CEO | Same day |
| 2. Safety and privacy first | If a learner or vulnerable adult may be at risk, the Child Safe Policy steps run immediately. If personal information may have been breached, the data breach steps run. | CEO / CSO | Immediately |
| 3. Acknowledge | Written acknowledgement: received, who is handling it, what happens next, when to expect a response, and the option of a support person. | CEO | Within 24 hours (one business day) |
| 4. Assess and allocate | Decide whether it can be resolved informally, needs a fuller look, or must involve a partner, employer or external body. Anyone the complaint is about, or with a conflict, does not handle it. | CEO | Within 5 business days |
| 5. Look into it | Talk with the person and anyone else involved, review records, and give anyone the complaint is about a fair chance to respond. Adapt for age; involve a parent or support person where a young person is involved. | CEO or delegate | Within 30 days of receipt |
| 6. Decide and respond | Written outcome in plain language: what we found, what we are doing, why, and how to ask for a review. Outcomes can include an apology, an explanation, a change to how we do something, action regarding a person or partner, a refund or fee adjustment, or a finding that the complaint is not upheld. | CEO | Within 30 days; if more than 60 days is needed we write to explain why and give regular updates |
| 7. Independent review on request | If the person is not satisfied, they can ask within 30 days for a review by a person independent of Learnivation and of the complainant. Learnivation arranges and pays for the reviewer; the person may present further information. | Independent reviewer | Within 30 days of the request |
| 8. Close and learn | Outcome and actions recorded; actions tracked to completion; trends reported quarterly and fed into self-assurance and the annual policy review. | CEO | On closure; quarterly |
4. What we do with an appeal
| Step | What happens | Who | By when |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Lodge | Appeal recorded in the Appeals Register; the learner is told who will review it. | CEO | Acknowledged within 24 hours |
| 2. Discuss | The CEO (or delegate) talks with the learner and the original assessor to understand the decision and the grounds for appeal. | CEO | Within 24 hours of the appeal where practicable, otherwise 5 business days |
| 3. Reassess | A different qualified assessor reviews the evidence against the marking guide and benchmark, or the learner is offered reassessment or a competency conversation. Where the original assessor was partner personnel (Bootstraps), the review is done by a Learnivation assessor. | Independent assessor | Within 7 business days |
| 4. Decide and respond | Written outcome with reasons. The appeal outcome replaces the original decision if upheld. | CEO | Within 30 days of lodgement |
| 5. External review | If still not satisfied, the learner may request an independent external review arranged and paid for by Learnivation, or go to the bodies in section 6. | Independent reviewer | Within 30 days of the request |
5. Particular kinds of complaint
5.1 About a worker, mentor, partner staff member or learner
A complaint about someone’s behaviour is handled with care for everyone involved. If it alleges harm to a learner, the person is stood down from contact with learners while it is assessed and the reporting obligations in the Child Safe Policy apply, including notification to the QFCC where the reportable conduct scheme applies and to Blue Card Services. The person the complaint is about is told what is alleged, given the chance to respond, and treated fairly; the complainant’s identity is protected unless disclosure is necessary and safe. A complaint about a learner is handled in a way that suits their age, with their parent involved if under 18, and with learning rather than punishment as the aim wherever appropriate. Where the person is partner personnel, the partner is told the same day and the agreement’s conduct provisions apply.
5.2 About a partner or a work-experience host
Learnivation is responsible under Standard 4.4 for everything a partner does in our name, so a complaint about Bootstraps’ delivery, a Cultivate the Chaos or STUFFit activity, or a CABA program that includes accredited training is our complaint to resolve, with the partner’s cooperation. A complaint about a work-experience host is handled under the Work Placement Framework and may result in the placement ending. Complaints about matters that are the partner’s alone (for example a STUFFit film entry, or a CABA activity with no accredited component) are referred to the partner, and we tell the person we have done so.
5.3 Privacy
A complaint that we have mishandled personal information follows the same steps; if not satisfied, the person may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
5.4 Fees and refunds
Complaints about fees, refunds or cooling-off follow the refund policy published for the program (including the Bootstraps and Cultivate the Chaos program refund policies) and this procedure. Where Bootstraps collects fees on our behalf, the prepaid-fee cap, cooling-off period and refund schedule in the agreement apply and Learnivation remains responsible for the outcome.
6. External options
Nobody has to use our process before going elsewhere, and we tell people about these options when we respond.
| Complaint about | Where else to go |
|---|---|
| The safety of a child | Police — 000 in an emergency; Child Safety — 1300 681 513 (business hours) or 1800 177 135 (after hours); Queensland Family and Child Commission — qfcc.qld.gov.au |
| Training, assessment, certification or the conduct of an RTO | National Training Complaints Hotline — 13 38 73; Australian Skills Quality Authority — asqa.gov.au (ASQA does not resolve individual complaints but uses them to inform regulation) |
| Government-funded training in Queensland | Queensland Training Ombudsman — trainingombudsman.qld.gov.au — 1800 773 048 |
| Privacy or personal information | Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — oaic.gov.au — 1300 363 992 |
| Discrimination, bullying or harassment | Queensland Human Rights Commission — qhrc.qld.gov.au — 1300 130 670 |
| Consumer or fee matters | Office of Fair Trading Queensland — 13 74 68 |
| A Be Connected funded program | Good Things Australia — goodthingsaustralia.org |
7. Records, privacy and reporting
Every complaint and appeal is recorded in the Complaints Register or Appeals Register, kept in the restricted compliance folder with access limited to the CEO and the alternate. We record only what is needed to handle the matter and learn from it; complaints involving learners are never discussed in front of other learners. Records involving child safety are kept at least 45 years; other complaint and appeal records seven years. The CEO reports quarterly on number, type, timeliness and outcome, any open beyond 30 days, and changes made, and the register is evidence for ASQA and for our self-assurance.
8. Partners and this procedure
Every partner agreement requires the partner to tell learners how to complain, to display this procedure or a link to it, to pass any complaint or welfare concern to Learnivation within two business days, to not resolve complaints about training, assessment or fees informally in our place, to cooperate with our process, and to keep its own record of complaints it receives. CABA Progressive’s Complaints and Feedback Procedure mirrors this one and refers accredited-training matters to Learnivation; Bootstraps may resolve day-to-day workshop concerns but notifies Learnivation of every formal complaint within two business days and escalates anything unresolved within ten. Complaints are a standing item at every six-monthly partner review.
9. Review
This procedure is reviewed annually with the Privacy and Child Safe policies, after any complaint that shows it is not working, and when the Standards change. We ask people who have used it how it felt. The current version is published at learnivation.edu.au, included in pre-enrolment information for every program, and provided to partners.
Complaint and appeal form
You do not have to use a form. Email your answers to [email protected], tell your learning coach or any partner staff member, or call 0412 557 088. It helps to include:
- Whether this is a complaint, or an appeal against an assessment or other decision
- Your name (optional if you wish to remain anonymous)
- The program and partner, if any
- Whether you are writing for yourself or someone else, and your relationship to them
- How you would like us to contact you (phone, email, or through a parent or support person)
- What happened, or which decision you are appealing: when, where and who was involved
- Whether you have raised this with anyone already, and what happened
- What you would like to see happen
Is anyone unsafe right now? Tell an adult straight away or call 000.