Fishburners Complaints Policy

1. Purpose This policy outlines Fishburners' procedures for handling complaints in a fair,

transparent, and timely manner. We value feedback from our members, partners, and

stakeholders and are committed to resolving any concerns to continuously improve our

community and services.

2. Scope This policy applies to all complaints received by Fishburners, regardless of the

source or nature of the complaint. It covers all services, products, interactions, and activities

associated with Fishburners.

3. Definitions

●​ Complaint: An expression of dissatisfaction made to Fishburners related to its

services, events, memberships, products or processes where a response or

resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected.

●​ Complainant: The person or entity making the complaint.

4. Principles

●​ Accessibility: Our complaints process is simple, accessible, and available to all

members, partners, and stakeholders.

●​ Responsiveness: We aim to acknowledge receipt of all complaints within 2 working

days and to resolve them as quickly as possible.

●​ Confidentiality: Complaints will be handled with confidentiality, and only those

directly involved in the resolution process will have access to complaint details.

●​ Impartiality: Complaints will be investigated impartially, without any bias towards the

complainant or the subject of the complaint.

●​ Continuous Improvement: Complaints are viewed as an opportunity for growth. We

use the information provided to identify root causes and implement corrective actions

to enhance our community and services.

5. Complaints Procedure

5.1. Lodging a Complaint Complaints can be lodged through the following channels:

●​ Email: complaints@fishburners.org

5.2. Acknowledgment Upon receiving a complaint, Fishburners will acknowledge it within 2

working days, providing the complainant with a reference number and details of the

complaints-handling process.

5.3. Investigation The complaint will be assigned to a designated officer who will investigate

the issue. This may involve gathering information from relevant parties, reviewing

documentation, and considering any related events or interactions.

5.4. Resolution The designated officer will aim to resolve the complaint within 10 working

days. The resolution will be communicated to the complainant, including any corrective

actions that will be taken.

6. Monitoring and Reporting All complaints will be recorded in an incident register, which

will be reviewed regularly to identify trends and areas for improvement.

7. Review of Policy This policy will be reviewed annually or as necessary to ensure it

remains effective and relevant to the Fishburners community.

8. Differentiation from Whistleblower Policy It is important to note that this Complaints

Policy is distinct from Fishburners' Whistleblower Policy. The Whistleblower Policy is

specifically designed for individuals who wish to report serious misconduct, illegal activities,

or unethical behaviour within the organisation. If you believe your concern involves such

issues, please refer to our Whistleblower Policy for guidance on how to proceed.

9. Contact Information For any queries regarding this policy, please contact:

●​ Email: support@fishburners.org

●​ Phone: 1800 959 351

Internal Complaints Process

Fishburners defines a complaint as:

An expression of dissatisfaction made to Fishburners related to its services, events,

memberships, products or processes where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly

expected.

In respect to the above policies and procedures, complaints do not include reports of

serious misconduct, illegal activities, or unethical behaviour within the organisation.

Fishburners has a distinct, Whistleblower Policy in place to cover such incidents and reports.

Complaints and feedback can come from a variety of sources and in a range of different

ways. To classify as a formal complaint, the complaint must be written in an email and sent

to complaints@fishburners.org.

Questions:

What if someone incorrectly submits a complaint that should instead be a Whistle

Blower report?

During the initial review process, if it is determined that the complaint involves serious

misconduct, illegal activities, or unethical behaviour, it should be reclassified as a

whistleblower report and immediately assume the processes and policies related to

whistleblower incidents.

The complaint should be promptly escalated to the appropriate authority outlined in the

Whistleblower Policy to ensure the issue is handled with the necessary confidentiality and

urgency.

Notification of this change must be communicated in writing to the complainant by email.

Who manages the complaints inbox? How are we ensuring that complaints are being

handled correctly?

The complaints inbox should always be managed by two employees: the CEO and the most

senior member of the operations team. The shared access and control of the complaints

inbox ensures that there are two people responsible for escalating complaints, mitigating the

risk that serious complaints will be hidden or not escalated appropriately.

If a complaint involves one of the managers, the other will handle the response to maintain

objectivity. In cases where both are implicated, the matter will be escalated to the Chair of

the Board.

Governance oversight is further reinforced by the Chair of the Board, who has the authority

to request access to the complaints inbox if there are concerns about the handling or

integrity of the complaints process. This structure ensures that complaints are managed with

transparency, accountability, and adherence to the organisation's governance standards.

​

In the instance where the team structure changes and the most senior member of the

Operations team is not deemed suitable to handle the complaints management, the Chair of

the Board may assume secondary responsibility or facilitate the formation of a committee to

manage the complaint. This structure ensures that all complaints are addressed

transparently, fairly, and in accordance with the organisation’s governance framework,

upholding the integrity of the complaints handling process.

What type of complaints should be escalated?

Complaints should be escalated to the Board under the following circumstances:

1.​ Conflicts of Interest: If a complaint involves or implicates the CEO, it must be

escalated to the Board to ensure an unbiased handling of the issue.​

2.​ Serious Allegations: Complaints involving serious misconduct, illegal activities,

unethical behaviour, or violations of company policies should be escalated to follow

Fishburners’ Whistleblower Policy with Board notification. ​

3.​ Repeated or Unresolved Issues: Complaints that are recurrent or have not been

resolved through standard procedures may be escalated to the Board to ensure they

are adequately addressed and to prevent ongoing dissatisfaction. This will be

reviewed on a case-by-case basis.​

4.​ Impact on Reputation or Operations: Complaints with the potential to significantly

impact the organisation’s reputation, operations, or financial standing should be

escalated to the Board for senior-level review and strategic response.

The subject of the complaint may also constitute an escalation. Any complaints received

about the CEO should be escalated to the Chair of the Board.

Any Complaints about the Chair should be escalated and reviewed by a nominated

committee of Directors.

Escalations by subject:

Complaint Subject Escalation Required Reviewed by

Member of the Public /

Ecosystem

No CEO / COO / Snr Ops

Community / Partners No CEO / COO / Snr Ops

Staff Members No CEO / COO / Snr Ops

CEO / Directors Yes Chair + Board Committee

Chair Yes CEO + Board Committee

​

What happens when we receive a complaint?

1.​ Objective Investigation: All complaints must be investigated objectively. To initiate

the investigation, the teams managing the complaint must follow Fishburners'

incident reporting processes, as detailed in Fishburners Notion.

2.​ Acknowledgment: Upon receipt of a complaint, an acknowledgment email must be

sent within 2 business days. This email should confirm that the complaint has been

received and that an investigation is underway.

3.​ Investigation Timeline: The investigation must be completed within 10 days from

the acknowledgment email. Any necessary actions required to mitigate risks

associated with the incident or investigation should be taken immediately.

4.​ Notification and Actions: After the investigation is completed, all involved parties

must be notified of the findings. Any required actions must be implemented promptly.

5.​ Documentation: The incident report, including all relevant details and actions taken,

must be saved to the incident

NOTE: if the incident occurs in our licensed venue with the influence of alcohol, an incident

must be registered to our 24hr log and must follow our RSA guidelines as outlined in Notion.

​

Templates:

Email to notify the complainant of escalation to Whistleblower Policy.

[include general messaging related to the incident and apology on behalf of the

organisation… + ]

Given the seriousness of the behaviour, I have decided to commence a formal whistleblower

process. This means any accounts provided to me about this incident will be treated as a

protected disclosure under Part 9.4AAA of the Corporations Act, and will be treated in strict

confidence. You can also choose to remain anonymous in making a contribution if you wish.