Key Takeaways
- Most issues can be resolved at the provider's internal complaints level, start there, in writing.
- If unresolved, escalate to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission (1800 951 822). Complaints are confidential and don't affect your eligibility.
- The Older Persons Advocacy Network (OPAN) provides free advocates who can support you through the process.
- Document everything in writing; verbal-only complaints rarely produce results.
- You don't need to switch providers when you complain, but the right to switch is always there if needed.
The complaints process for aged care in Australia is designed to give consumers genuine voice. It's not perfect, but it's accessible, free, and confidential. Most issues can be resolved at the provider's internal level if raised clearly; for ones that aren't, the regulator and the advocacy networks have real teeth.
This post walks through the four levels of complaint, with practical guidance on each.
The four levels
The pathway, in order:
- Direct conversation with your worker or care coordinator
- Formal complaint through the provider's complaints process
- External escalation to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
- Advocacy support from OPAN (the Older Persons Advocacy Network)
Most issues resolve at level 1 or 2. Levels 3 and 4 exist for the harder cases.
Level 1: Direct conversation
For day-to-day issues, a worker arriving late, a task not done as expected, a small misunderstanding, the right first step is a conversation with the worker or your care coordinator.
What to do:
- Raise the issue calmly and specifically: "On Tuesday, the cleaning didn't include the bathroom; we'd agreed it would."
- Ask for the specific resolution: "Can we make sure the bathroom is cleaned next visit?"
- Don't apologise for raising it. You're the consumer, not the inconvenience.
Most quality providers will resolve level 1 issues immediately and learn from them. If they don't, you escalate.
Level 2: Formal complaint
For more serious issues, repeated quality problems, billing disputes, worker behaviour concerns, inadequate care, escalate to the provider's formal complaints process. Every SAH provider must have one (it's required under Standard 6).
What to do:
- Get the complaints process in writing from the provider (they should send you a copy if you ask)
- Submit your complaint in writing (email is fine)
- Be specific: dates, names, what happened, what resolution you're seeking
- Keep a copy of everything
What to expect:
- Acknowledgement within 5 business days
- A written response within 30 days for most complaints
- A specific resolution or explanation of why resolution isn't possible
- Documentation of any changes made as a result
Quality providers handle complaints constructively. Lower-quality ones get defensive or delay; that itself is information.
Level 3: Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission
If the provider's internal process doesn't resolve your concern, or if the issue is serious enough that internal resolution isn't appropriate (e.g. safety concerns, allegations of abuse), escalate to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission.
How to contact them:
- Phone: 1800 951 822
- Online: agedcarequality.gov.au
- Mail: GPO Box 9819, your capital city
Important to know:
- Complaints are confidential. Your provider doesn't know who complained unless you tell them.
- Complaints don't affect your eligibility. You won't lose services for complaining.
- Anonymous complaints are accepted. If you're worried about identification.
- Family members and friends can complain on your behalf.
What the Commission does:
- Investigates the complaint
- May contact the provider for response
- May initiate an audit if a pattern is emerging
- May require the provider to take corrective action
- Will report back to you on the outcome
Resolution times vary. Simple complaints can resolve in 4-8 weeks; complex ones (especially involving abuse allegations) can take months but are typically prioritised.
Level 4: Advocacy support (OPAN)
The Older Persons Advocacy Network provides free, independent advocates to support older Australians through the complaints process, and to advocate generally for their rights.
What OPAN does:
- Listens and helps clarify the issue
- Provides information about your rights
- Supports you in conversations with providers
- Helps you draft formal complaints
- Accompanies you to meetings (in person or by phone)
- Advocates with the provider on your behalf
How to contact them:
- Phone: 1800 700 600
- Online: opan.org.au
- Each state has a local network with local advocates
OPAN is independent of providers, government, and the regulator. Their loyalty is to older Australians. The service is free.
Many people don't realise OPAN exists. It's one of the most useful resources in the aged care system.
What to complain about
The full menu of issues that warrant a formal complaint:
- Service delivery failures (missed visits, poor quality)
- Worker behaviour (rudeness, breach of trust, theft, inappropriate conduct)
- Care plan issues (failure to deliver agreed care, refusal to review)
- Billing problems (incorrect charges, banned fees, unexplained line items)
- Communication failures (unresponsive coordinators, no follow-up)
- Safety concerns (medication errors, falls not addressed, infection control)
- Cultural insensitivity
- Discrimination
- Abuse (verbal, financial, physical, emotional)
Severity varies enormously. A delayed visit is a level 1 conversation. Suspected financial abuse is a direct level 3 escalation, often involving police.
What to include in a written complaint
A clear written complaint includes:
- Your name and contact details
- Your provider's name
- The date(s) of the issue
- A specific description of what happened
- Names of any people involved (workers, coordinators)
- What resolution you're seeking
- Your signature and date
Avoid:
- Long emotional narratives without specifics
- Demanding immediate compensation (focus on resolution)
- Threats (counterproductive)
- Personal attacks on workers (focus on actions, not character)
What to keep
A small evidence file goes a long way:
- All written communications with the provider (emails, letters)
- Copies of your care plan and any updates
- Statements/invoices showing the period of dispute
- Notes from phone calls (date, time, who you spoke to, what was said)
- Any photos or documentation of incidents
If your complaint escalates, this file is your record.
Retaliation: what if it happens?
Retaliation against a complainant is itself a serious breach of Standard 6. If you experience:
- Service delivery suddenly degrading after a complaint
- Worker behaviour becoming hostile
- Coordinator becoming unresponsive
- Threats of service termination
…document it and escalate immediately to the Quality and Safety Commission. Retaliation is a regulatory matter, not just a complaint.
In practice, retaliation is rare among quality providers. Where it does occur, it's almost always at lower-quality providers who haven't built a constructive complaints culture.
Don't suffer in silence
The single most important message: the system works better when consumers use it. Many older Australians (and their families) hesitate to complain because they're worried about consequences. The protections exist precisely so that you can complain without consequence.
If you're not sure whether something warrants a complaint, ring OPAN (1800 700 600) and talk it through. The advocates can help you decide.
Provider quality affects this
A provider who handles complaints well has a constructive culture; one who doesn't, doesn't. If your provider's complaints process is opaque or their responses are defensive, that's a substantial reason to consider switching.
Use the price comparison tool to identify alternatives, and our switching SAH providers guide for the operational side of moving.