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What happens if a complaint is made about you

If a complaint is made about you or your organisation, we will contact you to talk about the complaint and invite you to participate to find an outcome.

Make a complaint

What happens when a complaint is made about me?

A person can make a complaint to us if they think they have experienced discrimination, sexual harassment, racial or religious vilification or victimisation.

We have a free, confidential, and informal alternative service to having a complaint heard and determined by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).

If a complaint is made about you or your organisation, a conciliator will contact you to talk about the complaint and invite you to participate to find an outcome.

If you agree to participate, the conciliator will suggest the best type of conciliation for your matter. We resolve most complaints within six months.

Am I required to participate?

The process is entirely voluntary. If a complaint is made about you, we cannot compel you to participate in conciliation.

If you decide not to participate, we will close the complaint. However, the complainant can still make an application to VCAT to hear the matter.

What possible outcomes are there?

We cannot make findings about a matter or decisions about the outcome. Instead, our conciliators help the participants to reach a mutually agreeable outcome such as:

  • an apology, statement of regret or acknowledgement of distress
  • changes to policies or practices
  • a commitment to provide equal opportunity training to staff
  • reinstating a person’s job (or terms of their job) or a service (or how it is delivered)
  • financial compensation.

If the complaint is about your organisation, you will need to provide authority for a representative of your organisation to make decisions about the outcome of the matter.

If you reach an agreement, the participants may wish to record it in writing. Either may agree to draft the agreement or your conciliator can help you to draft it.

What happens if an agreement can't be reached?

If you can’t reach an agreement, we will close the complainant and the complainant may choose to take it to VCAT.

More details about the complaints process

Make a complaint

You can make a complaint to us if you believe you have experienced discrimination, sexual harassment, vilification, or victimisation.

Not ready to make a complaint?

Downloadable resources

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Address
Level 3, 204 Lygon Street Carlton Victoria 3053

General enquiries
enquiries@veohrc.vic.gov.au

Reception
1300 891 848

Enquiry line
1300 292 153 or (03) 9032 3583

Interpreters
1300 152 494

NRS Voice Relay
1300 555 727 then use 1300 292 153

Media enquiries
0447 526 642

The Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission acknowledges that we work on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We also work remotely and serve communities on the lands of other Traditional Custodians.

We pay our respects to their Elders past and present.