How to make a complaint

To ascertain if the accountant is a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants please contact our customer service centre on 1300 137 322.

Please download, complete and save the complaint form (requires the latest version of Acrobat) and send your complaint electronically to the Professional Conduct Consultant. Please see below under contacts for complaints. You will be able to view, save and print a copy of your completed complaint.

You can also print a copy of your complaint and post or fax to us, including where applicable, with relevant documentary evidence.

Please Note: Although it is the Institute’s preference for complaints to be forwarded using the online complaint form, should you not be able to access this document, you may wish to send in your complaint in the form of a letter clearly summarising the issues and including where applicable, relevant documentary evidence.

Please also state in your complaint that you authorise the Institute to forward your complaint to the member. Complaints cannot be investigated without this authority.

Before proceeding with a complaint to the Institute, the following information should be noted:

  • Many complaints and /or disputes with a member often arise from misunderstandings and lack of communication. Before involving the Institute, your complaint and / or dispute should in the first instance, be addressed to the member, both verbally and in writing. In the case of a larger firm, you may also be able to work through any difficulties by taking your complaint / dispute to the senior management and partners of the accounting firm.
  • Regulation 9, Paragraph 1219 of the Institute's Handbook for members requires members in public practice, to facilitate within their organisation a process to manage disputes and complaints from their clients or ex-clients. This is to ensure that when the firm receives a complaint, it is investigated promptly with a view to ensuring a quick resolution. In addressing your complaint to the member or their firm, please advise them why you are dissatisfied and give them the opportunity to explain or rectify the situation. Paragraph 1219 states that where the results of the member’s investigation into the complaint indicate that the complaint is wholly or partly justified, the practice entity shall take appropriate measures, as may be available, to resolve and settle the complaint. Such measures may include remedial work, an apology, the reduction or refund of fees, the provision of information or otherwise.
  • If you are not satisfied with the member or their firm's management of your complaint, the Institute should then be made aware of the matter. In particular, the Institute should be made aware of complaints / issues that may be of such a nature that the high standards expected of members holding the chartered accountants designation, are compromised.
  • The Institute is not a court, regulatory or statutory body or tribunal. A complaint against a member should not be made and will not be accepted by the Institute where its purpose either directly or indirectly, is to try and achieve an outcome or remedy that you could obtain through taking other more appropriate action, for example through the court or via regulatory or statutory authorities such as the Australian Securities Investment Commission (ASIC), the Department of Consumer Affairs in the respective States or Territories, the Australian Taxation Office, Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), Tax Practitioners Board etc.
  • The Institute does not get involved in commercial or personal disputes and does not provide legal advice to the public.
  • In the circumstances where you are seeking recovery of monies in dispute or compensation, the complaint process cannot provide these as the Institute does not have a fidelity fund. The Institute also cannot require a member to make restitution where financial loss may have occurred as a result of a member’s acts or omissions. You should in the first instance obtain your own professional advice with a view to pursuing recovery through legal action.
  • The Institute cannot invoke its disciplinary process against a member who has been the subject of an adverse determination, for example in a court judgment, until all court appeals and re-hearings have been finalised.The Institute's disciplinary process is strictly limited to the discipline of a member. (Please see further information under the sections "The Institute's Disciplinary Policy Paper" and "The Institute's Disciplinary Process-FAQ's".
  • Re: Fees / Fee Disputes
    If your complaint involves fees charged and /or a fee dispute with a member, the Institute does not investigate these types of matters. (Please see further information under the section "Complaints Relating to Fees and /or Fee Disputes".
  • Before proceeding to lodge a complaint please now review the information outlined under the section "Types of Matters the Institute can Investigate".

Contact details for lodging complaints or enquiries about a complaint

Email: membercomplaints@charteredaccountants.com.au
Fax: +61 2 9262 1310
Phone: 1300 137 322

or write to:
The Professional Conduct Consultant
The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia
GPO Box 9985
SYDNEY NSW 2001

Article last updated 29 September 2010