This information below provides detail on the Australian financial services complaints authorities and Government bodies that can assist consumers and small businesses to make and resolve complaints about financial firms.
The term 'financial firm' includes banks and other lenders, insurance companies, financial advisers, mortgage brokers, stockbrokers, managed investment schemes, and superannuation funds (but not self-managed superannuation funds).
Financial firms that provide financial services to retail clients must have in place a process to resolve complaints with consumers and small business.
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The Australian Securities and Investments Commission is an independent government body that acts as Australia’s corporate, markets and financial services regulator.
ASIC's role is to enforce and regulate compadddny and financial services laws to protect Australian consumers, investors and creditors.
ASIC’s role is to maintain and promote competition, protect the interests and safety of consumers, and supporting fair trading in markets affecting consumers and small business, promote the economically efficient operation of, use of, and investment in infrastructure, and identifying market failure and undertake market studies and inquiries to support competition, consumer and regulatory outcomes.
This information sheet explains how to resolve your complaint directly with a financial firm, through their internal dispute resolution (IDR) process as well as how to resolve your complaint through the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), which is an external dispute resolution (EDR) scheme for financial complaints.
See below for ASIC guidance on disputes with financial firms.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is Australia’s competition regulator and national consumer law champion. The ACCC promotes competition and fair trading and regulator national infrastructure to make markets work for everyone. As an independent Commonwealth statutory authority, the ACCC’s role is to enforce the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and a range of additional legislation, promoting competition, fair trading and regulating national infrastructure for the benefit of all Australians.
The ACCC’s role is making markets work for consumers, now and in the future.
The ACCC employs the following strategies to achieve their purpose:
The ACCC offers advice to consumers about how to resolve problems or make a complaint. You can use their complaint letter template to help you draft a letter to the business or follow their three step guide when making a complaint.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) provide consumers and small businesses with fair, free and independent dispute resolution for financial complaints
AFCA considers complaints that previously would have been handled by the Financial Ombudsman Service, the Credit and Investments Ombudsman and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal. We are the dispute resolution scheme for financial services.
AFCA considers complaints about credit, finance and loans, insurance, banking deposits and payments, investments and financial advice and superannuation.
Our role is to assist consumers and small businesses to reach agreements with financial firms about how to resolve their complaints. We are impartial and independent. We do not act for either party to advocate their position. If a complaint does not resolve between the parties, we will decide an appropriate outcome.
Before you make a complaint, AFCA encourages you to go through your financial firm’s internal dispute resolution (IDR) process. Below are some tips to help you navigate this.
To make a complaint with AFCA, see here.
The Australian Car Rental Conciliation Service provides a mechanism for customers to lodge complaints about areas covered by the Australian Car Rental Code of Practice with AFIA Rental Group members - Avis Budget Group, Bayswater Car Rentals, East Coast Car Rentals, Europcar, Hertz, Redspot/Enterprise, SIXT and Thrifty.
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