Complaints and Appeals Policy

This policy explains how TalentMed handles complaints and appeals from students, prospective students, staff, and other stakeholders. It sets out the process for raising a concern, the timeframes we work to, and the options for independent review if an internal decision does not resolve the matter.

It covers complaints and appeals about TalentMed, our staff, and any third party delivering services on our behalf.

Every complaint or appeal is handled:

• Fairly. You have the right to be heard. The decision-maker is impartial and has no prior involvement in the matter.
• Confidentially. We only share information with people directly involved in resolving the issue.
• Respectfully. No student is penalised for raising a genuine concern in good faith.
• With procedural fairness. You are told what the issue is, you have a chance to respond, and the outcome and the reasons are provided in writing.
• To improve our service. We review trends across complaints and appeals to fix root causes.

A complaint is when you are dissatisfied with something TalentMed (or a third party acting on our behalf) has done or failed to do. Common examples include service issues, staff conduct, administrative errors, or the way a policy was applied.

An appeal is when you want us to review a formal decision that affects you. Common examples include an assessment result, a fee or refund decision, a disciplinary outcome, or a decision about reasonable adjustment or recognition of prior learning.

If you are not sure which applies, contact us and we will help you work it out.

Most issues can be resolved quickly and informally. Where they cannot, we move to a formal process.

Talk to us first

Start by raising your concern with the staff member or team involved. Most issues are resolved this way within a couple of days. If you are not comfortable approaching the person involved, you can go directly to the formal process.

Lodge a formal complaint

Put your complaint in writing and include:

• Your name and student ID (if enrolled)
• What happened, when, and who was involved
• What outcome you are seeking
• Any supporting documents or evidence

Lodge it by email to complaints@talentmed.edu.au, by phone on 1300 737 781, or in writing to our postal address listed on our website.

What happens next

If a complaint is complex (multiple parties, legal implications, external agencies involved) or urgent (safety risk, serious misconduct, time-critical decisions), the timeframe may be different. We will notify you in writing if more time is required and explain why.

You can appeal a decision that adversely affects you. Typical appeals include:

• Assessment results or competency decisions
• Credit transfer or recognition of prior learning outcomes
• Fee and refund decisions
• Disciplinary action, suspension, or exclusion
• Decisions about reasonable adjustment or support services
• Enrolment decisions, including course suitability

When to appeal

Lodge your appeal within 20 business days of receiving the decision in writing. Late appeals are considered on a case-by-case basis if you can show good reason for the delay.

Grounds for appeal

• A procedural error was made in reaching the original decision
• New evidence is now available that was not available at the time
• Bias or a conflict of interest affected the original decision-maker
• The decision is not supported by the evidence
• The outcome is disproportionate to the circumstances

How to appeal

Put your appeal in writing and include:

• The decision you are appealing and the date it was made
• The grounds for your appeal (from the list above)
• The outcome you are seeking
• Any new evidence or supporting documentation

Lodge it by email to appeals@talentmed.edu.au or by post.

What happens next

The appeals panel is made up of at least one senior staff member who was not involved in the original decision, a trainer or assessor for academic matters where relevant, and an independent member external to the decision area. You receive the outcome and reasons in writing.

If your complaint or appeal is not resolved internally, you can seek independent external review at no or low cost to you.

• Resolution Institute (1800 651 650) provides mediation and dispute resolution services.
• Consumer affairs / fair trading in your state or territory handles consumer protection complaints.
• Australian Human Rights Commission (1300 656 419) handles discrimination complaints.
• VET Student Loans Ombudsman (1800 015 314) handles disputes about VET Student Loans (HLT57715 Diploma of Practice Management only).
• Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) (1300 701 801) handles compliance concerns about RTOs. ASQA does not resolve individual student disputes but will investigate systemic issues.

External review does not replace our internal process. You should generally use our internal complaints and appeals process first. The exception is where there is an immediate safety concern or a statutory timeframe applies.

If your complaint or appeal relates to an assessment decision, your enrolment status, or access to services, your existing arrangements normally continue unchanged until the matter is decided. We will confirm your specific situation in writing.

For VET Student Loans students with an appeal, your loan status and census-day obligations remain as published in the VET Student Loans Re-crediting Policy during the review.

Information you share is only used to investigate and resolve your complaint or appeal. Records of complaints and appeals are held securely in line with our Privacy Policy and retained for a minimum of five years.

Anonymous complaints are accepted. Because we cannot contact you for more information or tell you the outcome, anonymous complaints are most useful for flagging systemic issues.

We take every complaint seriously. Where a complaint is clearly frivolous, repeated on the same grounds after a decision has been made, or made to harass, we may decline to investigate further and may place reasonable limits on future contact. We will always tell you the reasons in writing.

Outcomes are recorded in our complaints and appeals register. We review trends across complaints and appeals every year to identify systemic issues and plan improvements. Complaints and appeals are a valuable source of feedback and shape how we update our policies, procedures, and staff training.

• Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy
• Student Code of Conduct
• Privacy Policy
• Assessment Policy
• Fees and Charges Policy
• Student Handbook

View the complete list of policies that apply to your enrolment.

Complaints: complaints@talentmed.edu.au or 1300 737 781

Appeals: appeals@talentmed.edu.au or 1300 737 781

General student support: support@talentmed.edu.au or 1300 737 781

This policy is reviewed annually and sooner whenever changes to the regulatory framework or operational practice require it.

TalentMed Pty Ltd · RTO 22151 · ABN 29 125 458 808

The specific policies referenced throughout are the authoritative source.

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