This Service Charter sets out the standard of service you can expect to receive from the National Anti-Corruption Commission (the Commission) when you submit a report of corrupt conduct to be considered under the National Anti-Corruption Commission Act 2022 (Cth) (the NACC Act).
Our Service Charter also sets out:
- how to make a report and what we ask of you
- what we will do with your report
- what you should do if you wish to make a complaint about your dealings with us
- how to request a review of an intake or assessment outcome.
Contacting the Commission about corruption
Find information about making a report at How to make a report.
You can contact the Commission by:
- submitting a report on our website
- calling us on 1300 489 844 (between 8:30 am and 6 pm Monday to Friday AEST)
- writing to us
- phoning the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS) 131 450 who can facilitate calls to us in languages other than English.
If you are deaf or find it hard to hear or speak with people over the phone, you can contact us through the National Relay Service on 133 677 and ask for 1300 489 844. Voice-only users please phone 1300 555 727 and ask for 1300 489 844.
To help us provide you with a high level of service when you contact us, we ask that you:
- consider what we can and cannot do
- give us accurate information
- describe the alleged conduct and tell us why you think it is corrupt conduct
- respond to us if we seek additional information, and note we only need to receive evidence or supporting materials when we ask you for it
- please treat our staff with courtesy and respect.
If you would like your report to remain anonymous
We respect your right to make an anonymous report. Please appreciate that this means we will be unable to contact you to discuss your report or seek additional information and will be unable to provide you with protection against reprisals.
Privacy and confidentiality
We respect your right to privacy and confidentiality in making a report to us. If you give us information, we will use that information in accordance with the law and our Privacy statement.
Unreasonable behaviour
Commission staff are trained to look after themselves and are not required to accept unreasonable behaviour from the people they deal with in their job.
They will advise you if the way you speak to them is aggressive, abusive or otherwise makes them uncomfortable. They are entitled to terminate the call if the behaviour continues.
Our internal policy enables us to limit the way you can contact us, the people who will deal with you, or deny access to our team in extreme cases.
How the Commission will deal with your report
We encourage you to report anything you think might be corruption involving a Commonwealth public official.
Please understand it is not our role to act on your behalf to resolve disputes, facilitate appeals of decisions of administrative tribunals or courts, or investigate matters only involving state or territory public officials.
The triage and assessment process
All reports are initially triaged to confirm they are within the jurisdiction of the Commission, and that the elements of corrupt conduct are present in the report. If either of these thresholds are not met, the matter will be closed because no action can be taken by the Commission. You will be advised where this occurs.
Where an assessment is made that the information you report concerns a corruption issue, the NACC Act says the Commissioner may deal with that corruption issue in a number of ways, including by commencing an investigation or deciding to take no action.
Information about what is corrupt conduct can be found at What is corrupt conduct.
Reporting information to us helps target our resources
Where the information you report does not involve a corruption issue, the information will still be retained by the Commission and will be available to Commission staff should related matters emerge.
Your reports also help us build our intelligence about corrupt conduct and corruption risks so that we can investigate serious or systemic matters, and work to prevent corruption.
More information about the jurisdiction of the Commission can be found at What can the NACC investigate.
Our service level goals
The Commission reporting system is primarily an online service.
Where you telephone us, we aim to answer 70% of telephone calls within 30 seconds. After such time you will be invited to leave a message instead. Calls will be returned within 2 business days.
On the phone, our team can transcribe your report into our system on your behalf. Calls are recorded for quality and training purposes. You can ask that your call is not recorded if you choose.
The Commission aims to assess all reports within 90 days, with the following additional target:
We will respond within 30 days, where:
- your report is not within our jurisdiction
- your report does not relate to corrupt conduct, or
- we need more information to assess your report.
In most cases, it is not appropriate to comment or report on our investigations until the investigation is finalised. This helps ensure we uphold due process and procedural fairness in our investigations, but limits what we can tell you about the status of your report.
Our staff will be respectful in their interactions with you. They will identify themselves with their first name and speak to you in plain English.
Complaints about the Commission
Complaints about how the Commission has engaged with you
We welcome your feedback, compliments or suggestions about your experience in dealing with the Commission. If you are dissatisfied with our conduct or if we have not met the standards outlined in this Service Charter, we recommend you:
- try to resolve the issue with the staff member directly
- if this is not possible, please ask for a supervisor or manager to call or write to you
- if you remain dissatisfied after taking these steps, please write to: CEO@nacc.gov.au.
Requesting a review of an intake or assessment outcome
The Commission is committed to excellence, including in assessing reports of alleged corrupt conduct.
Should you be dissatisfied with an intake or assessment outcome, please consider lodging a request for review via the Commission’s website, noting that all requests will be considered, but some may be declined.
Alternatively, contact the Commission on 1300 489 844 and our team will help you lodge a request for review.
External review – Commonwealth Ombudsman
If you remain dissatisfied after engaging with one of these internal processes, you can contact the Commonwealth Ombudsman to lodge a complaint online or by phone on 1300 362 072. The above internal review steps should be completed before contacting the Ombudsman.
Inspector
The Inspector of the Commission is independent from the Commission. The Inspector can receive complaints of corrupt conduct and maladministration about the Commission and its staff. You can make a complaint at any time to the Inspector. See naccinspector.gov.au.
For more information on the oversight of the Commission, see Accountability and Reporting.
FOI requests
Find out about Freedom of information requests and learn more about the process.
Contact
The Contact us page sets out how you can engage with the Commission.