Making a complaint

Who can make a complaint

Members of the public cannot submit complaints

A complaint can be made by a person who is a current or former:

parliamentarian
Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 employee
Parliamentary Service employee
a person who carries out work for a parliamentarian predominantly at a Commonwealth parliamentary workplace (called ‘designated workers’ in the Act e.g. a volunteer or intern) for post-Code conduct only
other person who works predominantly at a Commonwealth parliamentary workplace (called ‘non-core participants’ in the Act e.g. a member of the press gallery or a contracted employee) for post-Code conduct only
Australian Federal Police appointee or Australian Public Service employee (e.g. a Departmental Liaison Officer) predominantly working form Parliament House for post-Code conduct only or
COMCAR driver for post-Code conduct only.

Who can a complaint be made about

Complaints can be made about a person who is a current or former:

parliamentarian
Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984 employee
a person who carries out work for a parliamentarian predominantly at a Commonwealth parliamentary workplace (called ‘designated workers’ in the Act e.g. a volunteer or intern) for post-Code conduct only or
other person who works predominantly at a Commonwealth parliamentary workplace (called ‘non-core participants’ in the Act e.g. a member of the press gallery or a contracted employee).

The IPSC cannot investigate a complaint about conduct of:

a person employed or appointed under the Parliamentary Service Act 1999
a person employed or appointed under the Public Service Act 1999
an AFP appointee.

Allegations of misconduct against these employees are dealt with by the relevant employing agency in accordance with the statutory frameworks governing these employees.

For further information, please refer to the ‘Information for respondents’ factsheet.

What can a complaint be made about

A complaint can be about alleged breaches of the Behaviour Code for Parliamentarians, Behaviour Code for Members of Parliament Staff and the Behaviour Standards for Commonwealth Parliamentary Workplaces (referred to as ‘post-Code conduct’ in the Act). The complaint needs to involve conduct that occurred on or after 14 October 2024.

A complaint may also be made about historical conduct that occurred before 14 October 2024 (referred to as ‘pre‑Code conduct’ in the Act). Pre-code conduct that the IPSC can investigate is:

sexual assault
assault
sexual harassment
harassment
bullying and
unreasonable behaviour towards another person that creates a risk to work health and safety.

The IPSC cannot investigate conduct that forms part of proceedings in Parliament. This conduct will continue to be dealt with by the relevant House of the Parliament in accordance with their procedures.

How to make a complaint

To make a complaint, you need to be, or have been, affected by the alleged conduct. This may be the case if you have been directly subjected to the conduct or have witnessed the conduct.

All complaints must be made in writing and include:

details of the allegation
any evidence to support the complaint and
the complainant’s name and contact details.

Complaints can be sent to:

Email: enquiry@ipsc.gov.au

Please refer to our Privacy Collection Statement

Who can make a referral to the IPSC

The following people can refer a conduct issue to the IPSC:

a parliamentarian may refer a person who they employ or who works predominantly from their office
the Leader of a Parliamentary party may refer a parliamentarian who is a member of their party
a Presiding Officer may refer a member of the House over which they preside
the PWSS CEO may refer a conduct issue.

A decision on whether an investigation will be commenced would remain a decision for the IPSC.

A referral to the IPSC must be made in writing and include:

details of the allegation
any evidence to support the complaint
the name and contact details of the referrer and
the name and contact details of the complainant (if applicable).

A referral to the IPSC must be made with the complainant’s consent. An exception is where the referrer is reasonably satisfied a referral is necessary to comply with a duty under work health and safety law.

Referrals can be sent to: