Complaints

Make a complaint to the Institute

Students can complain to BBI-TAITE concerning anything that negatively affects their studies, whether academic or non-academic. You can lodge an informal or a formal complaint, submit it on behalf of a group, or in some instances, submit your complaint anonymously. If you want to provide feedback rather than make a complaint, then you may write directly to the Director Student Services and Operations or the Associate Dean (Academic).

Making a complaint

At BBI-TAITE, we follow a complaint resolution process that involves an informal resolution, a formal resolution, an internal appeal, and an external appeal. Complaints may proceed from one level to the next if new evidence is available to support the complaint or resolution of the complaint did not occur during a particular stage of the process.

The Institute encourages students to follow the informal complaint resolution before proceeding further with the complaint.

Declining a complaint

Where a complainant acts in a rude, threatening or harassing manner, the Authorised Officer may decline to act on the complaint. Instead, the Authorised Officer may commence proceedings against the complainant under AC-A13 Anti-discrimination, bullying and harassment policy and procedure or AC-C12 Code of Conduct Policy and Procedure.

The Institute may decline to deal with a complaint if it deems it to be:

a. frivolous
b. vexatious
c. not made in good faith
d. misguided
e. lacking in substance or inherent worth
f. lacking in currency.

Informal resolution

At BBI-TAITE, we suggest writing directly to or calling the person or area of concern seeking an informal resolution to your complaint. Please be specific as to what has occurred and what you are seeking to resolve the complaint. If you cannot resolve the complaint or are concerned about your safety if you raise the issue with the person concerned, then lodge a formal complaint seeking a resolution.

Formal resolution

In making your formal complaint, you lodge it with one of the Authorised Officers of the Institute. The Authorised Officers are the:

  • Principal/CEO
  • Associate Dean (Academic)
  • Associate Dean (Courses)
  • Director Research
  • Director Student Services and Operations, and the
  • Registrar

We encourage you to lodge a formal complaint within 90 days of the first occurrence of the issue that caused your complaint. You will need to provide the following details when you submit your complaint:

  • The nature of the complaint, please ensure that the details are clear and specific.
  • When the issue occurred.
  • Any attempts you have taken to resolve the complaint, including supporting documentation, emails, letters, etc.
  • The outcomes of those attempts and why you have moved to the formal complaint process.
  • Your desired outcome from the formal complaint process.

The Authorised Officer will acknowledge receipt of your complaint. An assessment panel of three of the Authorised Officers listed above will assess your complaint within 21 days. Within that timeframe, they will advise you of the outcome of your complaint, or they will request any further clarification if needed.

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you may proceed to the Internal Review process.

Internal appeal

You may request an internal review by the Institute based on a lack of procedural fairness, misuse, or lack of authority or delegation to make the decision that caused the issue or the provision of new evidence to support your review request.

Lodge your application for review with the Principal/CEO or the Director Student Services and Operations (Authorised Officers) no later than 21 days following the outcome of the formal resolution process. The Authorised Officer will acknowledge receipt of your appeal and establish if its grounds meet the criteria above.

The Institute forms an ad hoc appeals committee to review decisions made concerning academic and non-academic disputes where the student has not resolved the matter through alternate means of enquiry with the Institute. See the Institute’s Governance Charter for the membership and procedures of this committee.

You will receive notification of the outcome of your review request within 21 days of acknowledgement of receipt of your request by the Institute.

External appeal

The Institute has nominated Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA) as the external review organisation to address unresolved complaints not worked out using BBI-TAITE’s internal processes.

Forward requests for an external review of an Institute decision concerning your complaint to:

The Chief Executive Officer
Independent Higher Education Australia (IHEA)
Suite 612, Level 6, 198 Harbour Esplanade
DOCKLANDS VIC 3008.

IHEA will appoint an independent reviewer to assess the complaint, determine an outcome, and advise the Institute, the complainant, and the external review organisation within 30 days of the lodgement of the complaint. The external reviewer will indicate the rationale and reasons for their decision in the review’s outcome.

The outcomes of the review are binding on all parties to the complaint.

The Institute will ensure that it implements the review outcomes within 30 days of receiving advice from the reviewer.

The Authorised Officer will ensure that a letter is sent to the complainant, advising them of the action taken within 30 days of receiving the outcome of the complaint from the external reviewer.