Our service charter

Our values

We comply with the Australian Public Service values and extend these values to contact with all stakeholders. We will:

• be impartial, open and accountable
• use the best available science and evidence to guide our decision making
• adhere to governing legislation when making decisions
• regard all individuals and organisations as valued stakeholders
• respect and be responsive to the issues raised by others
• act with integrity, empathy, professionalism and mutual respect

Our service standards

When we assist you, we will:

• identify ourselves as representing AICIS
• treat you with respect and courtesy
• be fair, open, impartial, consistent, honest, ethical and professional 
• give you clear, accurate, timely and high quality advice, or help you find the information you need the extent we can
• collect, store and use your commercial and personal information in accordance with relevant Australian laws
• provide contact details on all written correspondence

We will continually look for better ways to deliver our service to you and continually review and improve procedures following stakeholder consultation and feedback.

Our service delivery

AICIS is committed to providing a level of service that meets or exceeds the expectations of stakeholders. We aim to: 

• perform our regulatory functions sensitively, objectively, effectively and efficiently, and consistent with the best international standards of regulatory practice  
• process applications within statutory timeframes 
• make our processes and information requirements clear 
• make it easy for you to engage with us
• provide relevant and easy-to-understand responses to all enquiries
• provide current, accessible and accurate content on our website
• provide online services that help businesses transact with us and meet their legislative requirements
• commit to continuous improvement 

We will provide regular reports against these standards.

What we expect from you

In return, we ask you to:

• inform yourself about how to comply with the relevant legislation
• be open, honest and transparent in your interactions with us
• provide complete, accurate and timely information
• advise us promptly when your details change
• provide feedback on our services 
• treat our staff with respect and courtesy
• identify yourself as a lobbyist if you are carrying out lobbying activities (for more information about lobbying, see the Australian Government’s Lobbying Code of Conduct)   

Response times

We take our commitment to delivering quality service seriously.

Telephone: We will answer or return phone calls within one working day. If we are unable to answer your query immediately due to its technical nature, we will let you know when you can expect a call from us with a complete response. Any calls you receive from us will be from a private number.

Written correspondence (emails, online forms and mail): We will acknowledge all written correspondence within 5 working days of receipt. If we cannot fully address your query in that time we will let you know when you can expect a complete response from us. We will keep you informed on progress if the issue is complex.

What we cannot do

We are unable to:

• work out how legislation applies to your unique circumstance
• provide confidential business information without consent
• provide legal advice
• provide advice regarding your business decisions
• recommend service providers or commercial products
• act as an intermediary between you and your business partners

For more examples, see our page on who we are and what we do. 

How you can contact us

Enquiries and feedback

We value your feedback. It provides us with information that helps us refine and improve our services.

Use our contact us form or call us on 1800 638 528.

Complaints

If you are dissatisfied with our performance please let us know. We take all complaints seriously and will ensure they are handled efficiently, fairly and confidentially. You can use our contact us form and select the topic ‘Complaints’ if you wish to make a complaint about any of the following:   

• issues regarding the conduct of staff
• concerns about inappropriate use of powers
• concerns about consistency and impartiality
• an objection to an AICIS decision that is not subject to an appeal 
• allegations of detrimental treatment or exclusion of certain individuals or parties

We aim to respond to complaints within 30 calendar days and will let you know if we cannot respond within this time.

If you are unhappy with our response, please let us know so that we can assist you further. If you are still unsatisfied, you can complain directly to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) via their website or by calling them on 1300 363 992. 

We are unable to provide comment on or respond to complaints about government policy or legislative requirements.

Review of decisions – appeals process

Under our laws, you can ask the AICIS Executive Director to reconsider some decisions. 

Find more about the appeals process.

Privacy Information

We may collect personal information from you in order to respond to your enquiry. You don’t always have to provide us with your personal details, for example, if you have a general question for us. Sometimes it may not be practical for you to stay anonymous or to use a pseudonym, or we may be legally required to deal with you in an identified form. We will let you know if this is the case.

For more about how we collect and handle personal information, see our Privacy policy.

Online services

The AICIS Business Services portal is a secure platform to register your business; submit reports, applications and information; and make payments.

Business hours

Our normal business hours are from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday AEST. Our office is closed on Australian and NSW public holidays, and on the working days between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. In addition, our office closes early (3pm) on the last working day prior to Christmas and Good Friday.