Owner: COO (or delegate)
Applies to: DeadlyScience websites, online forms, email campaigns/EDMs, social media channels, publications, reports, program resources, events and other outward-facing communications/collateral.
Review: At least annually and after any major incident or trend.

1. Purpose
   
   DeadlyScience welcomes feedback (including compliments, suggestions and complaints). Feedback helps us improve our programs, resources, communications and the way we work with schools, communities, supporters and partners.
   
   This policy explains:
   ● how you can provide feedback,
   ● how we respond (including timeframes),
   ● how we manage complaints fairly, safely and respectfully, and
   ● how matters can be escalated
   
   
2. Scope
   
   This policy covers external feedback about:
   ● our websites and digital content,
   ● resources and learning materials,
   ● community and school engagement,
   ● events and communications,
   ● fundraising and supporter interactions,
   ● the conduct of our people while representing DeadlyScience.
   
   This policy does not cover internal staff grievances (handled under internal HR processes).
   
   
3. Policy statement
   
   We will handle feedback and complaints in a way that is:
   ● accessible (including interpreters and relay services),
   ● respectful and culturally safe,
   ● fair and unbiased,
   ● confidential where possible,
   ● timely, and
   ● focused on learning and continuous improvement. (Commonwealth Ombudsman)
   
   We will not treat anyone negatively for raising a concern in good faith.
   
   
4. How feedback can be provided
   
   You can contact us in any of the following ways:
   Online
   ● Contact us email form on the DeadlyScience website at https://deadlyscience2.my.site.com/Publicforms/feedbackform?preview =true Email
   ● feedback@deadlyscience.org.au
   Phone ● 0478 083 490 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm – except public holidays) Post ● DeadlyScience Ltd Attn: Feedback & Complaints PO Box 244, Port Macquarie, NSW, 2444
   Social media
   ● You may message us via official channels. For privacy, please avoid posting personal information publicly—we may ask you to move to private message/email. Accessibility supports
   ● Interpreter: TIS National 131 450 (tisnational.gov.au)
   ● National Relay Service: 133 677 (TTY) / 1300 555 727 (Speak & Listen) (Access Hub)
   
   
5. How we approach feedback
   
   We aim to resolve concerns early and directly where appropriate, while ensuring matters are handled safely and professionally. We may ask for further information so we can properly understand the issue and respond
   
   
6. How positive feedback will be handled
   
   Compliments and positive feedback are important. We will:
   ● pass praise to the relevant team members,
   ● (with your permission) share positive feedback internally for recognition, and
   ● use de-identified themes to inform continuous improvement
   
   
7. How complaints will be handled
   
   We take complaints seriously. Our priorities are to:
   ● understand what happened,
   ● address impacts and risks (including safety),
   ● identify improvements and prevent recurrence, and
   ● respond with a clear outcome. Where a complaint relates to a product or paid service, we will also consider any applicable rights under the Australian Consumer Law (including consumer guarantees and remedies where required). (ACCC)
   
   
8. Timeframes (what you can expect)
   
   We aim to:
   ● Acknowledge your complaint within 3 business days
   ● Provide an outcome within 20 business days, where possible
   
   If it’s complex, we will:
   ● tell you what extra time is needed and why, and
   ● provide progress updates at least every 10 business days until finalised.
   
   
9. Review of outcomes and reporting
   
   We use feedback to improve. We will:
   ● record complaints and outcomes in a secure register,
   ● review trends and root causes,
   ● implement improvements (where needed), and
   ● report de-identified complaint themes and performance to the Executive (and Board/Committees where relevant). (Commonwealth Ombudsman)
   
   
10. Special circumstances
    
    Anonymous feedback
    You may provide feedback anonymously. If we don’t have contact details, we may not be able to respond personally.
    
    Unreasonable conduct
    We will always try to help, but we may set boundaries for abusive, threatening, or repeated unreasonable contact (including limiting channels or frequency), while still addressing the underlying issue.
    
    Conflicts of interest
    If the complaint involves the person normally responsible for handling feedback, we will allocate it to an independent senior staff member or the CEO/Board delegate.
    
    Child safety concerns
    DeadlyScience is committed to child-safe practices. We will respond to child-related complaints in a child-focused way, consistent with National Principle 6 expectations for child-safe complaints processes. (National Office for Child Safety) If a child is in immediate danger, call 000.
    
    Privacy concerns / data breaches
    We handle personal information in line with our Privacy Policy and Australian Privacy Principles. (OAIC) If a complaint raises a potential eligible data breach, we will assess it under our data breach response process. Where the Privacy Act applies and serious harm is likely, notification obligations may apply. (OAIC)
    
    
11. Escalation options
    
    If you are not satisfied with our response, you can request an internal review by a more senior staff member (or Board delegate where appropriate).
    
    You may also seek external pathways depending on the issue, for example:
    ● Privacy: You can complain to the OAIC if you believe personal information has been mishandled (generally after raising it with the organisation first). (OAIC)
    ● Charity governance concerns: The ACNC may consider concerns about breaches of the ACNC framework (and notes it generally does not investigate service quality issues alone). (ACNC)
    ● Online abuse/harm: You can report certain online harms to the eSafety Commissioner. (eSafety Commissioner)
    ● Consumer issues: You can seek advice from your state/territory consumer affairs body. (The ACCC provides guidance on consumer guarantees and remedies.) (ACCC)
    
    
12. Performance indicators
    
    We measure our performance through:
    1. Acknowledgement timeliness: % of complaints acknowledged within 3 business days (target: 95%)
    2. Resolution timeliness: % finalised within 20 business days (target: 85%)
    3. Quality: % with clear outcome reasons recorded (target: 100%)
    4. Improvement: # of systemic improvements identified and implemented per quarter (target: tracked and reported)
    5. Accessibility: # of complaints supported by accessibility measures (tracked to ensure barriers are removed)
    
    
13. Roles and responsibilities
    
    All DeadlyScience representatives: receive feedback respectfully and direct it to the correct channel.
    ● Feedback & Complaints Coordinator (central contact): logs, acknowledges, triages, coordinates actions, tracks timeframes.
    ● Relevant Program/Business Owner: investigates and proposes corrective actions.
    ● COO (or delegate): oversees serious matters, approvals, risk controls, and reporting.
    ● CEO / Board delegate: handles escalations, conflicts of interest, and high-risk complaints.
    
    
14. Supporting procedures
    
    Customer Feedback & Complaints Procedure (below)
    ● Privacy Policy + Data Breach Response Process (OAIC)
    ● Child Safety & Wellbeing Policy / Child-Safe Complaints guidance (National Office for Child Safety)
    ● Code of Conduct
    ● Social Media Community Guidelines / Moderation Procedure
    
    
15. References / related documents
    
    ● ACNC Governance Standards (accountable and responsible governance expectations) (ACNC)
    ● ACNC guidance on complaints handling model policy/procedure (ACNC)
    ● OAIC Australian Privacy Principles (OAIC)
    ● OAIC Notifiable Data Breaches scheme (OAIC)
    ● National Principles for Child Safe Organisations (Principle 6 – child-focused complaints) (National Office for Child Safety)
    ● ACCC consumer guarantees and remedies guidance (ACCC)
    ● Commonwealth Ombudsman Better Practice Complaint Handling Guide (better-practice principles; consistent with ISO complaint handling guidance) (Commonwealth Ombudsman)
    
    
16. Definitions
    
    ● Feedback: any comment, suggestion, compliment or complaint.
    ● Complaint: an expression of dissatisfaction about our organisation, services, content, conduct or decisions, where a response or resolution is expected.
    ● Complainant: the person raising the complaint (or their representative).
    ● Outcome: the final decision and actions taken to resolve the complaint.
    ● Personal information: information about an identified individual (or reasonably identifiable individual). (OAIC)
    ● Child / young person: a person under 18 years of age.
    

What happens next