External complaints procedure

Purpose

VMC is committed to enabling members of the public to make complaints when they have a problem with the services, actions or decisions provided or taken by VMC employees. We aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible and to learn from complaints to improve our work.

Scope

This procedure applies to all complaints from members of the public about employees of the Victorian Multicultural Commission, which sits within the Department of Premier and Cabinet.

This policy does not apply to complaints about individual Commissioners. Complaints about Commissioners are dealt with under the Complaint Management Policy and Procedure for Commissioners, Chair and Deputy Chair.

Principles

All complaints are reviewed on their merits, through clear and consistent processes
All complaints are handled fairly, impartially and in a timely manner
All complaint proceedings are conducted with the highest level of confidentiality to protect the privacy of all parties involved. We keep your personal information secure. We may use the information you provide to improve our services.
All stages of the complaint process are thoroughly documented, with records kept securely for future reference

Definitions

What is a complaint?

A complaint includes a communication (verbal or written) which expresses dissatisfaction with the quality of an action taken, decision made, or engagement provided by an employee or a contractor engaged by the VMC.

Employee: Any person employed by the Department of Premier and Cabinet to carry out the functions of the VMC and includes the Director.

Contractor: Any third-party engaged by the VMC to carry out functions on the VMC’s behalf.

What is not considered a complaint?

The following will not be registered as a complaint for the purposes of this Policy:

A request for service, such as requesting something additional or new. For example, a request for different caterers or venue for a VMC event.
A request for information, documents or explanation of policies/procedures
Allegations of fraud or corruption, these will be considered under the Guide to Making and Handling Public Interest Disclosures: Procedures for the Department of Premier and Cabinet.
A complaint about an event/service or business for which the VMC is not responsible. While the VMC organises events and community engagement activities, VMC is not ultimately responsible for the behaviour, events, guestlists and businesses organised or hosted by community organisations.
A complaint about the Department of Premier and Cabinet, or government policies and priorities. While VMC listens to and advocates for multicultural communities to government, it is unable to investigate individual complaints about other departments, these need to be directed to those individual departments.
A complaint that involves an issue that is governed by State or Federal policy or laws or relates to conduct before a court, coroner or tribunal
A complaint that relates to the appointment or dismissal of any employee or an industrial or disciplinary issue

VMC complaints process

Any person can make a complaint by:
- Email: contact@vmc.vic.gov.au (Attention: VMC Manager)
- Post: Victorian Multicultural Commission, 121 Exhibition St, Melbourne VIC 3000
Please provide the following information when making a complaint:
- Name and contact details (you can complain anonymously, but this may limit our response)
- The action, decision, service or policy you are complaining about, and why you are dissatisfied
- Relevant details, such as dates, times, location and documents that support your complaint
- The outcome you are seeking from making your complaint
- Whether you have any particular communication needs
Accessibility
We are committed to ensuring our complaints process is accessible to everyone. Tell us if you have specific communication needs or barriers, and we can assist you by:
- Using an assistance service, such an interpreter (refer to website for language services) or Teletypewriter (call 133 677) for free
- Talking with you if you have trouble reading or writing
- Communicating with another person acting on your behalf if needed
All complaints will be handled confidentially.
The VMC Manager will assess your complaint. After an initial assessment, VMC may:
- Take direct action to resolve your complaint, including by discussing the issue with the person/s against whom the complaint is made
- Refer the complaint to the relevant team for investigation
- Decline to investigate complaints that are considered frivolous, vexatious, concern a trivial matter or are not made in good faith
We will attempt to resolve your complaint quickly. If we decide not to act on it, we will explain why and inform you of other options.
If we cannot resolve your complaint immediately, we may undertake further investigation, which may include:
- Speaking with other employees, contractors, or external agencies.
- Inspecting documents.
- Facilitating a meeting between the parties involved.
You will be advised of the outcome of the investigation.
If you are not satisfied with the process or outcome of the investigation of a complaint, you can request an internal review.
To ensure independence, a senior VMC employee, who did not contribute to steps 1-4 above, will conduct the additional review.
This additional review is the final step in the internal VMC complaint process. The same matter will not be re-considered once the review is complete.
You will be advised of the outcome of the review, including the reasons for the decision and any external review options.
We encourage you to request an internal review before seeking an external review. In any case, it is likely that external organisations will refer you back to the VMC for an internal review before they consider a complaint. If you remain dissatisfied with VMC’s response, we will inform you of the external agency who can review the matter. These agencies may include:
- The Victorian Ombudsman: complaints about Victorian Government departments
- The Office of the Victorian Information Commission: complaints about breaches of privacy or complaints about Freedom of Information
- Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission: corruption or public interest disclosure (‘whistleblower’) complaints
- Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission: complaints about discrimination
Resolution timelines will depend on the responsible organisation.

Timelines

Acknowledge receipt of complaint: within 5 business days of receiving complaint
Initial review: within 10 business days of receiving complaint
Initial action: within 15 business days of receiving complaint
Further investigation: within 20 business days of receiving complaint
Internal review: within 30 business days of internal review being requested

While every effort will be made to resolve matters as quickly as possible, a longer period may be required if the complaint is unusually complex.

We will advise of a delay to the resolution timeframe no less than three days prior to our original commitment. We will include an explanation and a revised timeframe. If the complaint takes longer than 60 working days resolve, we will update you every 20 working days.

Unreasonable complainant conduct

The VMC understands that making a complaint can be frustrating. However, we expect complainants to treat our staff with respect. We will not tolerate offensive, abusive, threatening, or harassing behaviour.

If a complainant’s behaviour becomes unreasonable, we may take steps to manage the situation, including:

Restricting contact: To ensure clear and consistent communication, we may designate a single point of contact.
Limiting issues raised: If a complainant persists with issues that have already been addressed, we may restrict the scope of future discussions.
Managing contact methods: We may limit contact methods (phone, email, in-person) if they are excessive or disruptive.
Denying access: In extreme cases, we may deny access to VMC facilities or events to ensure the safety and wellbeing of others.

We will always inform complainants of any actions we take to manage unreasonable behaviour and explain our reasons.

Communities

Updated 28 March 2025