How we manage complaints

If you are unhappy with our service, something we have or haven’t done, you can make a complaint.

If you just want to provide feedback, please email feedback@pt.qld.gov.au.

We are committed to providing reliable and reasonable services to our customers, and we seek to continuously improve.

It is free to make a complaint and you will not be charged to have your complaint investigated. You can also use our interpreter service to make a complaint, or to get a response to your complaint in your preferred language, free of charge.

We manage all complaints in line with our complaints policy, which all staff must understand and follow.

For an overview, please see this video or Your complaint’s journey.

How we manage complaints video

Video transcript

How to make a complaint

The fastest way to resolve your complaint is to contact the officer you have been dealing with. If you are not happy with their response, you may ask to speak with their manager or director.

If you have tried this and haven’t got a satisfactory response, or do not feel comfortable making a complaint directly, you can:

• use our complaints form
• call our complaints line on 1800 014 536 (Monday–Friday, 9am–4pm)
• email us at complaints@pt.qld.gov.au
• write to us at
  
  Complaints Officer
  The Public Trustee
  GPO Box 1449
  BRISBANE QLD 4001 

Your rights when making a complaint

We believe everyone has a right to complain and that people should be treated with respect.  If you make a complaint, or have a complaint made on your behalf, this will not affect how we treat you or your right to service from the Public Trustee. It is free to make a complaint and for your complaint to be investigated.

Our staff will help you if you need assistance lodging a complaint.

We accept complaints from our customers and their family members, friends and other people or organisations that help to support the person.

You may make an anonymous complaint, but this may make it more difficult to investigate and resolve your complaint.

 

What happens to your complaint?

We take complaints seriously and will investigate promptly. We use the issues raised to help us improve our services and processes. 

When we receive a complaint:

• We assess it and record it in our complaints management system.
• The type of complaint determines what we do next.
• We may contact you for further information.
• Generally, we give your complaint to a manager or director to investigate.
• We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and let you know when you should receive a response.

See Your complaint’s journey for more detail. 

How long will it take?

We will try to resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. However, if an issue is more complex, we may need more time to investigate. Most complaints are resolved within 5 to 20 working days. If your complaint is to do with Privacy or Human Rights, it may take up to 45 working days.

What you can do if your issue is not resolved

Internal review

You may request an internal review of the original decision or of the response to your complaint. It may take up to 15 working days for the Public Trustee to decide and notify you whether the review will go ahead. If an internal review is approved by The Public Trustee:

• an experienced officer who has not previously been involved will examine the original decision and the internal practices used to reach the decision, while considering any new information you have provided
• it will take a at least 45 working days
• there will be no charge to the complainant or customer for the internal review to be conducted.

Queensland Ombudsman

If you are unhappy with the outcome of the internal review, you may make a complaint to the Queensland Ombudsman. The Ombudsman may investigate complaints about the actions and decisions of Queensland public agencies and their staff that may be unlawful, unreasonable, unfair, improperly discriminatory or otherwise wrong.

Write to:

Queensland Ombudsman
GPO Box 3314
BRISBANE  QLD  4001

Phone: (07) 3005 7000
Toll free (outside Brisbane): 1800 068 908
Fax: (07) 3005 7067
Web: www.ombudsman.qld.gov.au

Independent Complaints Review Process

The PT has also implemented an independent complaints review process to provide customers with greater confidence in the Public Trustee’s practices.

An independent review may be available where options under the PT’s complaints management framework have been exhausted.

The review is facilitated by the Office of the Customer Advocate, and performed by an external reviewer, to ensure it is undertaken in a way that provides customers with a further level of independence.

This option is not compulsory, and a complainant may, at any time, choose to progress their complaint to an external agency.

More information on this process can be directed to the Office of the Customer Advocate by email at customer.advocate@pt.qld.gov.au.

Human Rights Commission

You may make a complaint to the Queensland Human Rights Commission if you believe we have breached your human rights, and have made a complaint to the Public Trustee and not received a response from us within 45 working days, or believe our response is inadequate.  You can contact the Queensland Human Rights Commission on 1300 130 670 or via its website: www.qhrc.qld.gov.au.