Information for people and organisations responding to complaints

What happens when the Commission receives a complaint?

• The Commission will notify you that it has received a complaint and will provide you with a copy of the complaint. The Commission wants to hear your views on the matter and wants to make sure you have a fair opportunity to respond and resolve the complaint.
• Where appropriate, the Commission will invite you to participate in conciliation.
• If the Commission asks you to provide information or documents, you will also be asked to provide this within a specific timeframe. If you do not provide the information in the timeframe or you do not respond at all, the President of the Commission has power under the law to compel you to provide the information. The law also says that the President can compel people and organisations to attend conciliation.
• It is the Commission’s usual practice to give the complainant a copy of information and documents that you provide to the Commission. This can help the complainant understand how you see things.
• You do not need a lawyer to respond to a complaint. If you want a lawyer, you will need to organise this yourself. You can also seek advice from other organisations such as industry groups.

What if I have more questions?

• More information for people and organisations responding to complaints about unlawful discrimination is available here.
• If you have more questions about the complaint process and conciliation, please contact the officer who is handling your complaint.
• If you are responding to a complaint of Human rights or ILO more information is available here.

National Information Service

Telephone: 1300 656 419
Website: www.humanrights.gov.au/complaints_information
Email: infoservice@humanrights.gov.au