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Complaints policy

Complaint Procedures

LMA is committed to providing quality training and assessment services to Participants and their employers. We value feedback from Participants, staff and employers as an opportunity for continuous improvement.  Any person who is dissatisfied with the services delivered by LMA, our staff, and third parties on our behalf, is encouraged to raise the issue at the earliest opportunity to enable it to be addressed promptly.  Complaints or concerns may also be raised about the behaviour of fellow Participants undertaking our programs.

Complaint Policy

LMA’s process for the settlement of complaints is underpinned by the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness. Complaints are responded to in a fair and unbiased way and those who are involved in the complaint are informed of the allegations and given an opportunity to present their side of the matter.

LMA’s complaint policy and procedure is available in the LMA Code of Practice and is also available on the website.

In the first instance, the complaint should be managed informally, by the parties involved and the Learning & Delivery Quality Manager.  If the complaint is unable to be resolved to the satisfaction of the parties through the informal process, a formal written complaint may be lodged with the Quality and Compliance Manager. 

Formal complaints will be investigated and dealt with in a reasonable timeframe and the outcomes documented.  All parties to the complaint will have the opportunity to present their position and may nominate a support person to assist in presenting their position. 

If a complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of a formal complaint, the complainant can formally appeal the outcome.  The complaint will then be referred to an appropriate independent arbitrator (such as an independent VET consultant) for appeal.

LMA agrees to abide by the decision of the independent arbitrator.

Dissatisfaction with assessment outcomes should be addressed through the Assessment Appeals process.  Refer to the Assessment Policy in the Code of Conduct available on the website for details of the assessment appeals .

Complaint Procedure

Informal Complaint

The initial stage of any complaint is for the Complainant to raise their concerns as soon as practicable with the individual(s) concerned, the aim being to resolve the problem directly and informally.

If the Complainant would prefer not to approach the individual concerned directly or they are not satisfied with the initial response to the grievance they should raise their concern with the Learning and Delivery Quality Manager.

The Learning and Delivery Quality Manager will discuss the concern with the Complainant and will also speak with the other parties involved with the aim of satisfactorily resolving the issue.

If the Complainant is not satisfied with the outcome, they will be informed of their right to lodge a formal complaint in writing to the Quality and Compliance Manager.

Formal complaint

Formal complaints may only proceed after the informal complaint procedure has been finalised.

Formal complaints concerning LMA, our staff, and third parties providing services our behalf, or program Participants must be made in writing to the Quality and Compliance Manager. Written formal complaints can be lodged by email to the Quality and Compliance Manager krobb@lma.biz or by post to LMA, 6A University Place, Clayton, Victoria 3168.

The Quality and Compliance Manager will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within three (3) working days and may contact the Complainant, their representative and other parties involved in the complaint to seek clarification of any information relevant to the complaint.

Any party, against whom a complaint is lodged, will be advised that a complaint has been made against them, and has the right to view the written complaint and access any evidence provided by the Complainant.  The party is entitled to present a defence against the complaint and may nominate a chosen representative to act on their behalf.

The Quality and Compliance Manager will make every effort to resolve the complaint internally between the parties involved within a reasonable timeframe, but not exceeding 4 weeks.

Should the resolution of the complaint take more than 4 weeks, the Quality and Compliance Manager will advise the Complainant in writing of the reasons for the extended timeframe, and provide regular updates on the progress of the matter.

Once the complaint has been investigated by the Quality and Compliance Manager, the Complainant will be provided with a written statement explaining the outcome of the complaint and the actions, if any, to be taken by LMA. 

If a Complainant is dissatisfied with the outcome of the internal formal complaint process, they may formally appeal the outcome. 

Formal appeals should be lodged in writing to the Quality and Compliance Manager outlining the reasons for the appeal. The matter will then be referred to independent arbitrator for appeal. LMA will bear any cost associated with an appeal to an independent arbitrator.

Both the Complainant and the party against whom the complaint is lodged, may nominate a chosen representative to act on their behalf in any subsequent discussions or arbitration.

LMA agrees to abide by the decision of the independent arbitrator.

The Quality and Compliance Manager retains a secure ‘Complaints Register’ which documents the details of all formal complaints, appeals and their outcome.

Review of Complaint Records

Where the outcome of a complaint identifies the need for a policy or process improvement to avoid further instances of dissatisfaction, the Quality and Compliance Manager will be responsible for implementing the improvement. Improvements are recorded on the Continuous Improvement Log.