Resolved complaint (222) about disability discrimination and victimisation in the administration of Commonwealth laws and programs and goods, services and facilities
Learn how a complaint (222): disability discrimination and victimisation in the administration of Commonwealth laws and programs and goods, services and facilities — resolved by conciliation.
Summary
- Year: 2025
- Relevant Act: Disability Discrimination Act
- Grounds: Disability; Victimisation
- Area(s): Access to premises; Administration of Commonwealth laws and programs; Goods, services and facilities
- Settlement terms:
- Compensation
- Goods/services/facilities - adjustments provided
- Goods/services/facilities - revised terms and conditions
- Policy change/Change in practice
- Statement of regret - private
- Settlement amount: $4,000
About the complaint
The complainant has post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety and depression. The complainant said she told registry staff at the respondent tribunal that her disability was aggravated by lengthy delays. She alleged registry staff repeatedly delayed providing her with transcripts of her hearings, which she needed for further proceedings. She alleged registry staff did not respond to her attempts to make contact and declined to list her matters for hearing after she complained about the delays.
The tribunal advised it did not have a dedicated transcription service and this resulted in delays in producing the transcripts requested by the complainant. The tribunal acknowledged its registry staff did not always respond promptly to the complainant’s attempts to make contact, noting it was a small agency and found it difficult to respond to the complainant’s voluminous correspondence and emails in a timely manner. The tribunal denied any deliberate failure to list the complainant’s matters for hearing.
The complaint was resolved with an agreement that the tribunal provide the complainant with a dedicated contact point, write to her expressing regret for her experience and pay her $4,000 in compensation for hurt and distress. The tribunal undertook to provide the complainant with audio recordings and transcripts of hearings within three business days using a new electronic transcription method. The tribunal advised it was in the process of reviewing its customer complaints policy and undertook to provide the complainant with a copy of the updated policy.
Guidance on the use of these summaries
This is a summary of a selected complaint that has been resolved through our conciliation process. It's designed to help people better understand how complaints might be resolved and what outcomes are possible.
These summaries are for general guidance only and are not legal advice. If you need advice about your situation, you should seek independent legal support.
Please note:
- all complaints are de-identified
- complaints are resolved on a 'without admission of liability' basis
- some content may include confronting or offensive language.
