Making a Complaint to the National Student Ombudsman

So you have tried to get your complaint sorted with the University and feel like it's going nowhere fast? The clock is ticking and things are only getting more difficult? Fear not, the National Student Ombudsman is at hand. 

The Advocacy Service is here to help you get the best out of this new avenue for review. A few quick points to get you oriented.

The National Student Ombudsman (NSO) is a free and independent service for students to resolve complaints about the University and its decisions which affect you. The sorts of things the NSO can look at include issues related to unfair treatment, inadequate support, or breaches of the university's policy - the scope of the NSO's jurisdiction includes:

• your safety and welfare
• racism
• gender-based violence
• problems with course administration, changes or decisions affecting your enrolment or study
• the adequacy of teaching provisions and facilities
• the fairness of disciplinary processes and outcomes
• reasonable adjustments such as Special Consideration and Alternative Exam Arrangements
• Remission of Fees in special circumstances
• complaints about the Uni's complaints and appeal processes - such as being denied an Appeal to the Academic Board
• a lack of explanation or reasoning for a given decision
• possibly a range of other issues.

Yes, the scope is B R O A D. Basically, if you have tried to resolve your issue with the University and remain dissatisfied with how your complaint was handled, for example because you believe a decision was made in error or that the Uni has acted unfairly, OR if you are facing barriers to complaining to the Uni - then the NSO may be able to help.

The Advocacy Service is here to help you get organised to lodge a complaint with the NSO.

Get in touch with us to discuss how we can help.

We can guide you through the process of making your own complaint, or we can even lodge a complaint on your behalf.