Complaints and Appeals Process

In making your decision to enrol with us, you need to be aware that:

1. A complaint may relate to any matter associated with your experience at Safenet, and
2. An appeal may relate to any decision made by Safenet, including those about complaints and also those about your training outcomes.

You may complain or appeal:

• Informally – a brief discussion with your trainer, where the trainer’s explanation is sufficient to resolve the matter, or
• Formally – in writing, where an investigation is required to resolve the matter.

We are committed to providing a fair and transparent complaint and appeals handling process. If you have a complaint involving the conduct of Safenet, its trainers, assessors or other staff; a third party providing services on Safenet’s behalf, its trainers, assessors or other staff; or a student of Safenet, we encourage you, in the first instance to raise the matter informally with a Safenet employee. If this does not solve the matter, then the complaint will need to be lodged formally.

To lodge a formal complaint please fill in a Complaints and Appeals form and submit the form to the RTO Coordinator. Forms can be found at reception or students can contact the RTO Coordinator and ask for the form to be sent.

We apply the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness to our complaint handling process and will at all times operate in a fair and unbiased way.

Safenet applies the following principles to its complaints handling:
• A complainant or appellant is to be provided an opportunity to formally present his or her case at no cost
• Each complainant or appellant may be accompanied or assisted by a support person at any relevant meeting
• Any person/s involved will be informed of the allegations and provided with an opportunity to present their side of the matter.

Complaints and appeals are acknowledged in writing and a written record of all complaints and appeals is kept by Safenet in the form of a complaints and appeals register. The register includes all details of lodgement, response and resolution. We will identify the potential causes of complaints and appeals and take appropriate corrective action to eliminate or mitigate the likelihood of reoccurrence.

The process commences within ten (10) working days of the formal lodgement of the complaint or appeal with supporting information and all reasonable measures are taken to finalise the process as soon as practicable. The complainant or appellant is provided a written response, including details of the reasons for the outcome.
Where a complaint or appeal is considered to require more than sixty (60) calendar days to process and finalise, we will inform the complainant or appellant in writing, including reasons why more than sixty calendar days are required and will provide the complainant or appellant with regular updates to inform them of the progress of the matter.

Safenet shall maintain the enrolment of the complainant or appellant during the complaint or appeal handling process. If the internal or any external complaint handling process results in a decision that supports the student, we will immediately implement any decision and any required corrective and preventative action and advise the student of the outcome.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the complaint you are able to appeal. Please complete and sign the Appeals section of the Complaints and Appeals form and submit the form to the RTO Manager. The appeals process will be conducted as identified above.

If the matter remains unresolved after the internal appeal process, the appellant may make a written request to the RTO Manager that they wish the matter be dealt with through an independent external dispute resolution process. Safenet, in consultation with the appellant, will appoint a mutually agreed independent body.

External appeals will be undertaken by an independent body, such as:

Fair Trading
Live chat: Access Canberra chat service Phone: 6207 3000 – Access Canberra
Online: ACT Government feedback form Mail: GPO Box 158, Canberra City ACT 2601
National Training Complaints Hotline
Tel: 13 38 73.
Please be assured that complaints and appeals will be handled in the strictest of confidence.

We are committed to providing a supportive and fair academic appeals process. Applications by students for reconsideration of an unfavourable decision or finding relating to their assessments will be treated with the highest importance.

The academic appeal should be made in the first instance by discussing the matter with the trainer. If this does not resolve the matter, or if the trainer does not agree with the basis of the appeal, then the student should appeal to the RTO Coordinator who will complete the Academic Appeals form.

Students must appeal the assessment decision within seven (7) working days of the assessment date.
The RTO Coordinator will review all the documentation and discuss the appeal with the student and trainer/assessor within five (5) working days. If the RTO Coordinator is unable to resolve the academic appeal then the matter is to be referred to an independent assessor (i.e. one who was not involved in the assessment decision under appeal) to whom the student may present their case.
The RTO Coordinator should then consider the recommendations of the independent assessor and communicate the finding to the student and the trainer.

If the issue cannot be resolved to their satisfaction the student may make a formal submission to the Chief Executive Officer for a review by an independent third party. To do this, the student must complete the appropriate section of the Academic Appeals form and lodge it with the RTO Coordinator. The CEO, in consultation with the student, will appoint a mutually agreed independent external mediator within 5 (five) working days.

The submission and the final outcome of the academic appeal must be recorded and communicated to all parties in writing. The communication must contain the outcome of the academic appeal and the reasons for the decisions made, the actions to be taken and a copy retained on the student’s file. We apply the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness to our academic appeals process and will at all times operate in a fair and unbiased way.

Safenet applies the following principles to its academic appeals handling:

• A student is to be provided an opportunity to formally present his or her case at no cost
• A student may be accompanied or assisted by a support person at any relevant meeting
• Any person/s involved will be informed and provided with an opportunity to present their side of the matter.

Academic appeals are acknowledged in writing and a written record of all academic appeals is kept by Safenet. The record includes all details of lodgement, response and resolution. We will identify the potential causes of academic appeals and take appropriate corrective action to eliminate or mitigate the likelihood of reoccurrence.
The process commences within five (5) working days of the formal lodgement of the academic appeal and supporting
information and all reasonable measures are taken to finalise the process as soon as practicable. The student is provided a written response, including details of the reasons for the outcome.

Where an academic appeal is considered to require more than sixty (60) calendar days to process and finalise, we will inform the student in writing, including reasons why more than sixty calendar days are required and will provide the student with regular updates to inform them of the progress of the matter. Safenet shall maintain the enrolment of the student during the academic appeals process. If the internal or any external academic appeals process results in a decision that supports the student, we will immediately implement any decision and any required corrective and preventative action and advise the student of the outcome. Please be assured that academic appeals will be handled in the strictest of confidence.