Complaints Policy

Our commitment

Hall Chadwick recognises the right of any person who deals with us to raise a concern or make a complaint about our conduct or the standard of our service. We would rather hear from you than not.

We treat complaints as free information about how the firm is performing. Every complaint is recorded, considered on its merits, and used to identify where we can do better. Making a complaint costs nothing and will not disadvantage you.

This policy is written with reference to APES 110 Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants and APES 320 Quality Control for Firms, both issued by the Accounting Professional and Ethical Standards Board; the Code of Professional Practice of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association; and AS ISO 10002 Guidelines for complaints handling in organisations.

Who can make a complaint

Anyone. You do not need to be a client of the firm. This policy is available to:

clients and former clients;
bankrupts, debtors and their family members;
creditors and their representatives;
directors, employees and other parties affected by an administration or an engagement;
referrers, suppliers and other business contacts; and
any other member of the public.

What you can complain about

You can complain about anything we have done, or failed to do. Complaints we commonly receive concern:

the standard, timeliness or cost of our work;
the conduct or communication of a partner or member of staff;
a decision made in the administration of a bankruptcy, personal insolvency agreement, debt agreement, controlling trusteeship or other appointment;
the fees, remuneration or expenses charged to an administration or to a client;
the information you have been given, or a failure to keep you informed;
a conflict of interest, or a concern that we have not acted independently; and
the handling of your personal information.

What this policy does not cover

If your concern is about serious misconduct, dishonesty, fraud or a breach of the law, our Whistleblower Policy may give you additional legal protections, including the right to remain anonymous. It is published on this website and you may use it instead of, or in addition to, this policy.

Complaints by our own employees about their employment are dealt with under the firm’s internal human resources and grievance procedures rather than this policy.

How to make a complaint

You can complain in whichever way is easiest for you. You do not need to use any particular form of words, and you do not need to describe your complaint as a complaint for it to be treated as one.

If you are comfortable doing so, the quickest route is usually to raise the matter with the partner or manager responsible for the engagement, who may be able to resolve it straight away.

If you would prefer not to do that, or you have done so and are not satisfied, you can contact us directly:

Complaints Officer: Drew Townsend
Email: dtownsend@hallchadwick.com.au
Telephone: +61 2 9263 2655
Post: Level 40, 2 Park Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia

It helps us if you can tell us what happened, who was involved, when it happened, and what outcome you are looking for. If you cannot provide all of that, we will still look into your complaint.

You may ask someone else to complain on your behalf, and you may bring a support person, a financial counsellor or a representative to any discussion with us.

What happens after you complain

We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 business days of receiving it, and tell you who is dealing with it.
We will look into what happened. That may involve reviewing the file, speaking with the people involved, and speaking with you.
Your complaint will not be investigated by the person it is about. Where a complaint concerns the conduct of an administration, it is considered by a partner or senior person who is independent of that administration. Where nobody within the firm is sufficiently independent, we will refer the matter to an appropriate external person.
We will respond to you within 21 business days of acknowledging your complaint. If we need longer, we will tell you why and keep you updated at intervals of no more than 21 business days until the matter is resolved.
When we respond, we will explain what we found, the reasons for our conclusion, what we propose to do, and what you can do if you remain dissatisfied.

No cost and no disadvantage

We do not charge you for making a complaint, and we do not charge the cost of dealing with your complaint to you.

Making a complaint will not affect how you are treated, the conduct of any administration in which you have an interest, or any entitlement you have. We will not treat you unfavourably because you have complained, and we will not permit anyone else in the firm to do so.

Confidentiality and privacy

We treat your complaint confidentially. We will share information about it only with those who need it in order to look into the matter properly, or where we are required or permitted by law to disclose it.

If you ask to remain anonymous we will respect that, although it may limit our ability to investigate or to tell you the outcome. Any personal information you give us is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and our Privacy Policy.

If you are not satisfied with our response

You are entitled to take a complaint outside the firm at any time. You do not need our permission and you do not need to complain to us first, although most external bodies prefer that you have given us the opportunity to put things right.

Personal insolvency matters

The Australian Financial Security Authority regulates registered trustees and debt agreement administrators and receives complaints about their conduct. AFSA states that it prefers complainants to raise concerns with the practitioner first, but recognises that there are circumstances in which that is not appropriate, in which case you should explain why when you contact them.

Australian Financial Security Authority: afsa.gov.au, telephone 1300 365 785

Separately from the complaints process, some decisions of a trustee can be formally reviewed. These include decisions about an objection to discharge, an income contribution assessment, a hardship application, a supervised account, and a trustee’s remuneration and third party costs. A review of remuneration must generally be requested within 20 business days after you receive a Remuneration Claim Notice, or within 20 business days after the administration ends. The outcome of a review by AFSA may be appealed to the Court.

Professional bodies

You may also raise a concern about the conduct of a member with the relevant professional body:

the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association, in respect of its members;
Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, CPA Australia, or the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, in respect of their members; and
the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, in respect of the handling of personal information.

Help with making a complaint

If you need assistance to make or pursue a complaint, tell us and we will help. We can arrange an interpreter, accept a complaint through a representative, financial counsellor or support person, and adjust how we communicate with you to meet your needs.

If you are experiencing hardship or find dealing with us difficult, please say so. We will take that into account in how and when we contact you.

How we use complaints to improve

Every complaint is recorded in the firm’s complaints register, together with what we did about it and how it was resolved.

The register is reviewed regularly so that we can see patterns across offices and engagements rather than treating each complaint in isolation. Complaints and their outcomes are reported to the firm’s senior management and form part of the quarterly governance report to the Chairman of the firm. The complaints process itself is reviewed at least annually.

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