Feedback and complaints form

The Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia are committed to client service and respond as effectively as possible to feedback and complaints. Your feedback helps to drive service improvement. You can find out more about the courts’ Feedback and Complaints Policy under Contact Us on the Family Law Courts website.

What the feedback and complaints area can help you with

The complaints area of the courts can address concerns about the conduct of registry staff and other services not related to the exercise of judicial power. If we make a mistake in these areas, including by neglecting to follow applicable policy, we will do what we can to fix the problem.

What the feedback and complaints area cannot help you with

Judicial complaints: Concerns about judicial decisions or the conduct of judicial proceedings can only be addressed through formal appeal or review processes, to which statutory time limits apply. Concerns about the personal conduct of a judicial officer or delays in the delivery of judgments will be referred to the appropriate judicial area under the Court’s policy on Judicial Complaints.
Family Reports and the family consultants’ work in preparing the reports may be tested, including by cross examination, as part of the hearing of a matter. In performing court-ordered work in a children’s case, family consultants have the same immunity as judges, and the conduct and outcomes of their work should be examined within judicial process.

Legal representatives: The courts do not handle complaints about lawyers, including lawyers acting as Independent Children's Lawyers (unless these are raised in the course of a hearing). Such complaints can be raised with the relevant state or territory law society or bar association.

The Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia are agencies for the purposes of the Privacy Act 1988, although the Act only applies to the courts when it deals with matters of an administrative nature. Information collected by the courts for administrative purposes may be used and disclosed for purposes related to the administration of the courts e.g. where the Court obtains services from third parties. Personal information held by the courts is securely stored. It may be disclosed where legally required or for purposes related to law enforcement and personal security.