Complaints can be made against Archer Institute, our trainers and assessors, other staff, or another student at Archer Institute. Complaints can relate to any aspect of our services.
Appeals can be made in respect of any decision made by Archer Institute, including assessment decisions. An appeal is a request for Archer Institute's decision to be reviewed.
In managing complaints, we will ensure that the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness are adopted at every stage of the process. This means we will review each complaint or appeal in an objective and consistent manner and give everyone the opportunity to present their point of view.
Our internal complaints and appeals process can be accessed at no cost.
We encourage you to first seek to address the issue informally by discussing it with the person involved. However, if you do not feel comfortable with this, or you have tried and did not get the outcome you wished, you can access the formal complaints and appeals process.
To make a formal complaint or appeal, you must:
For assessment appeals, we will appoint an independent assessor to conduct a review of the assessment decision being appealed.
We will communicate the result of the complaints and appeals process to you in writing, including the reasons for the decision.
If you need to attend a meeting, you are entitled to have a support person of your choice present.
Generally, your enrolment will be maintained throughout any internal appeals process that concerns a decision to report you. If the appeal is against a decision to report you for unsatisfactory training program progress, your enrolment will be maintained until the external process is completed and has supported or not supported our decision to report you. If the appeal is against a decision to suspend or cancel your enrolment due to misbehaviour, plagiarism, or cheating, the suspension or cancellation will not take effect until after the outcome of the internal appeals process.
Where the internal process has not resolved the complaint or appeal, you are able to take your case to our independent review party:
The independent appeal review organisation will charge $330 plus GST, which is payable by Archer Institute. This fee includes an independent review and a written report provided to both the student and Archer Institute. Archer Institute will cooperate fully with the independent review and immediately implement any decisions or recommendations made.
You are responsible for all associated costs should you choose to engage any other third-party service provider. Archer Institute will not contribute to or cover any costs associated with any other third-party you engage.
The National Training Complaints Hotline is a national service for consumers to register complaints concerning vocational education and training. The service refers consumers to the appropriate agency, authority or jurisdiction.
Complainants may also contact our registering body, ASQA. It is important to understand that ASQA does not act as an advocate for individual students and is not responsible for resolving disputes between students and training providers. ASQA uses information from complaints as intelligence to inform regulatory activities.
In relation to consumer-related issues, you may also refer your complaint to your state Fair Trading body:
Nothing in this policy limits the rights of an individual to take action under Australia's Consumer Protection laws or to pursue other legal remedies.
We ask all students to contact our CEO prior to making any complaint to an external body. We believe we can always work together to find a solution so long as it meets the regulatory requirements.
For general enquiries not related to a complaint, please contact student services on 1800 069 273 or students@archerinstitute.edu.au.