Update from the Commonwealth Ombudsman – Overseas Students
The Commonwealth Ombudsman deals with complaints about Commonwealth Government departments and agencies as well as being the Ombudsman for Overseas Students. The Ombudsman’s services are free. The aim of the office is to resolve complaints impartially, informally and as quickly as reasonably practicable.
The Ombudsman’s three main Overseas Student roles are to:
- Investigate complaints about actions taken by private registered education providers in connection with student visa holders
- Give private registered providers advice and training for best practice handling of student complaints
- Report on trends and issues arising from complaint investigations
Summary of Ombudsman activities First Quarter 2018
The number of complaints received by the Ombudsman is 12% lower than in the same 2017 period.
60% of complaints investigated were decided in support of the provider, an increase in 14% on the previous quarter. 23% were decided in support of the student, a decrease of 15% on the last quarter.
Complainants came from 25 countries with China and India representing the most frequent origins for student complaints.
234 complaints were finalised of which the Ombudsman’s office investigated 70 complaints which included 87 issues. Complaints about provider refunds and fee disputes remain the most significant issues.
Complaint issues
The common areas of student complaints comprising the majority of issues reported include written agreements (fees and refunds) and monitoring attendance and progress.
The highest number of investigated complaints for this quarter related to Vocational Education and Training (VET). The VET sector continues to be the most commonly complained about sector, however it also has the highest number of registered private providers.
Complexity of Complaint Investigation
The length of investigation varies depending on the complexity of the case and the responsiveness of the student and education provider. The Ombudsman’s office aims to reduce finalisation times, with 338 days the average completion time for all complaints in in the first quarter of 2018.
Complaints by education sector
The highest number of investigated complaints for this quarter related to Vocational Education and Training (VET). The VET sector continues to be the most commonly complained about sector, however it also has the highest number of registered private providers.
For a complete resource visit the Commonwealth Ombudsman website.