Complaints and Codes of Conduct
How to raise a concern, and where to take it further, wherever you live in Australia
If something about my service has not been right, please tell me first. I will acknowledge your concern promptly and respond within 30 days, and raising it will never affect the care you receive. You can reach me on 0402 597 600 or at hello@hopeandhealingtherapy.com.au.
The codes I work under
I am registered with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) as a Counsellor (Level 3) and as a Supervisor, and I follow the ACA Code of Ethics and Practice.
Counsellors are not registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). Instead, many states and territories have a code of conduct for health care workers who are not registered with AHPRA, and complaints about those workers are handled by the state or territory health complaints body. The rules differ from place to place, and which one applies can depend on where the service is provided and received. The links below go to each body's own information about its code, so you can see what applies where you live.
Where to make a complaint
You can contact the body for the state or territory where you live or where you receive the service. If you are not sure which applies, any of them can point you in the right direction.
- Victoria — Health Complaints Commissioner: hcc.vic.gov.au, 1300 582 113. Code of conduct information
- New South Wales — Health Care Complaints Commission: hccc.nsw.gov.au, 1800 043 159 (toll free in NSW). Code of conduct information from NSW Health
- Queensland — Office of the Health Ombudsman: oho.qld.gov.au, 133 646 (133 OHO). Code of conduct information
- South Australia — Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner: hcscc.sa.gov.au, 1800 232 007 (toll free). Code of conduct information
- Western Australia — Health and Disability Services Complaints Office (HaDSCO): hadsco.wa.gov.au, (08) 6551 7600 or freecall 1800 813 583. Code of conduct information
- Tasmania — Health Complaints Commissioner: healthcomplaints.tas.gov.au, 1800 001 170. Code of conduct information
- Australian Capital Territory — ACT Human Rights Commission, Health Services Commissioner: hrc.act.gov.au, (02) 6205 2222. Code of conduct information
- Northern Territory — Health and Community Services Complaints Commission: hcscc.nt.gov.au, 1800 004 474 (toll free)
Other places you can go
- Australian Counselling Association (ACA) — my professional association, which has its own complaints process under its Code of Ethics: theaca.net.au
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — for complaints about how your personal information has been handled: oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992. How I handle information is explained on the Privacy, Confidentiality and Consent page.
Last updated 22 October 2026. Phone numbers and web addresses are correct at the time of writing. If one has changed, the organisation's own website will have the current details.