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Apparently directly affected

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

Apparently means:

  • as far as one knows or can see
  • according to what seems to be true or what is likely, based on what you know.

Directly affected means:

  • greater than the concerns of a bystander who has no interest in the outcome
  • where a person’s rights or interests would be affected if the administrative action stood or continued.

A direct interest in a customer complaint to a public sector entity includes a person whose rights or interests are, or could be, impacted in some way.

Complainant

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

A complainant means a person, organisation or their representative (including clients, consumers, service users and customers) making a complaint.

Complaint

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction made to or about an organisation, related to its products, services, staff or the handling of a complaint, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected or legally required.

Complaints management system

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

A complaints management system means all aspects of the policies, procedures, practices, staff, hardware and software used by a public sector entity for the management of complaints.

Customer

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

A customer means a person who is accessing the service or action of a public sector entity. Some public sector entities may refer to a customer as a client.

A customer may make a complaint about the service or action of the public sector entity, at which time that complaint may become a customer complaint.

A customer may include a person or an organisation representing another person directly affected by the action or decision of a public sector entity.

Customer complaint

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

A customer complaint means a complaint about the service or action of a public sector entity, or its staff, by a person who is apparently directly affected by the service or action.

Examples of a customer complaint include a complaint about:

  • a decision made, or a failure to make a decision, by a public sector employee of the public sector entity
  • an act, or failure to act, of the public sector entity
  • the formulation of a proposal or intention of the public sector entity
  • the making of a recommendation by the public sector entity
  • the customer service provided by a public sector employee of the public sector entity.

Customer complaint is a broad term and may also include a complaint involving:

  • the Charter of Victims’ Rights (Victims’ Commissioner and Sexual Violence Review Board Act 2024)
  • corrupt conduct (Crime and Corruption Act 2001)
  • human rights (Human Rights Act 2019)
  • information privacy (Information Privacy Act 2009)
  • a public interest disclosure (Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010).

Feedback

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

Feedback means opinions, comments and expressions of interest or concern, made directly or indirectly, explicitly or implicitly to or about the organisation, its products, services, staff or its handling of a complaint that does not explicitly or implicitly require a response.

An opinion from a concerned person about matter they are not directly affected by may be considered feedback rather than a customer complaint.

Further action

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

Further action means where, upon finalising a customer complaint, the public sector entity needed to take further action to deal with the concerns raised or resolve the complaint resulting in a systemic or direct benefit.

Examples of further action as a result of a customer complaint include:

  • a change in the original decision or action as a result of the complaint
  • staff education or training
  • improved business planning and processes
  • service delivery improvements
  • review or changes to a policy or procedure
  • administrative action to establish grounds for disciplinary action
  • compensation (including an ex-gratia payment to a person as a gesture of goodwill to resolve the dispute).

No further action

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

No further action means where, upon finalising a customer complaint, the public sector entity did not need to take further action to resolve the issues raised in the complaint. This includes an internal review process that upheld and affirmed the original decision. No further action includes resolving a customer complaint through issuing an apology or an explanation to the complainant.

Public sector entity

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

A public sector entity is:

  1. a public service entity
  2. an entity, other than a public service entity, prescribed by regulation as a public sector entity
  3. a registry or other administrative office of a court or tribunal of the State
  4. an agency, authority, commission, corporation, instrumentality, office, or other entity, other than an entity previously mentioned, established under an Act for a public or State purpose.

Public service entity

Glossary topic: Customer complaints

A public service entity means:

  1. a department, or
  2. an entity outlined in schedule 1 of the Public Sector Act 2022.
Last updated:
2 December 2025