What an NDIS Commission complaint is
The NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission regulates NDIS providers and workers. When you report an issue to it about the supports you or someone else receives, it becomes information the Commission uses to keep participants safe, and in some cases a formal complaint it acts on.
It covers registered and unregistered providers alike, because every NDIS provider and worker must follow the NDIS Code of Conduct. You can raise it with the provider first if you feel comfortable, but you do not have to.
What the Commission can help with
Participants, families, workers, advocates and members of the public can report things like:
- Neglect, abuse or harm while receiving NDIS supports
- Supports that are unsafe, poor quality, about to stop or not delivered as funded
- A provider not responding to complaints, or responding badly
- Suspected misuse of NDIS funds or unfair prices
- Breaches of privacy, conflicts of interest, taking advantage of a participant, or unfair practices to attract participants
What goes somewhere else
The Commission does not handle individual dispute resolution, employment disputes or unpaid invoices, or complaints about people who are not NDIS providers or workers, such as guardians, advocates, family members or hospital staff.
Questions about your plan, your funding, NDIA decisions or waiting times, the myplace or my NDIS portals, or providers being paid go to the NDIA instead. If you are not sure, contact the Commission anyway and it will point you to the right place.
How to report an issue
The contact centre is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm in most states and territories and 7:30am to 3:30pm in Western Australia. You can report anonymously, which means the Commission cannot update you, or confidentially, which means your identity is not shared with the people involved but you can hear about progress. A family member, friend or independent advocate can help you.
- Phone 1800 035 544 (free from landlines), TTY 133 677, or through the National Relay Service. Interpreters can be arranged
- Online, using the Report an issue form on the Commission's website, useful if you communicate in writing or cannot call in business hours
- By letter to NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, PO Box 210, Penrith NSW 2751
- If someone's life is at risk or there is an emergency, call 000 first
What happens after you report
Every issue is assessed against risk criteria. The highest priority goes to harm or serious risk of harm, provider negligence, a pattern of ongoing non compliance, and human rights violations. Depending on the risk, the Commission can:
- Explain your rights and help you resolve it with the provider
- Work with you and the provider to find a solution, or require the provider to take certain actions
- Act quickly to keep a person safe, known as urgent safeguarding
- Investigate or monitor a provider or worker
- Issue infringement notices, ban a provider or worker, or revoke a registered provider's registration
- Refer you or your complaint to the right agency or authority
How long it takes, and if you disagree
The Commission's service standard is to complete 50% of complaints within 90 business days. Urgent safety matters are acted on much faster. Even if your report does not lead to action, it is recorded and helps build a picture of a provider over time.
If you are unhappy with a decision on your complaint, you can ask the Commission to reconsider it. If you are unhappy with how it handled your complaint, you can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman, which can look at the handling but cannot change the decision.