Contact
Vision Australia
Phone: 1300 84 74 66
Postal address: P.O Box 176
Burwood NSW 1805
Feedback, complaints and appeals
Customer service and feedback including complaints
Vision Australia values your feedback.
Vision Australia takes all complaints seriously and has strict procedures in place to guarantee that all complaints are dealt with in a thorough and transparent manner. Read our Complaints and Suggestions for Improvement Policy here. Complaints and suggestions for improvement regarding the NSW Spectacles Program can be submitted via phone, email or online by completing the Form for Complaints and Suggestions.
A small proportion of beneficiaries will be surveyed regularly for satisfaction with the Program to identify opportunities for improvement and ensure the Program is fulfilling its purpose.
Appeals
If a beneficiary believes that Vision Australia has incorrectly declined their application for spectacles under the Program, they are encouraged to contact Vision Australia to discuss and clarify the reasons for the decision. This will provide a chance to correct any misunderstanding, present new information and get an incorrect decision changed quickly should such a need arise.
If after doing this, a beneficiary still feels the decision is incorrect, they can lodge an appeal and ask for the decision to be reviewed by the NSW Spectacles Program. Requests for appeals are to be lodged in writing by a beneficiary or on their behalf by their nominated representative (such as a family member or the prescribing optometrist). This can be in the form of an email to info@visionaustralia.org or posted letter to NSW Spectacles Program, Vision Australia, PO Box 176, Burwood NSW 1805.
In seeking an appeal, the beneficiary should provide Vision Australia with any additional information that should be considered and the reasons they believe the decision was incorrect.
Most appeals are first addressed internally by staff not involved in the original decision. If necessary, the appeal may be considered by a panel which includes an expert optometrist who is external to Vision Australia.
The appeal process will involve:
- A review of the information used to make the original decision.
- Contact with the beneficiary or their representative by phone to discuss the matter (if necessary).
- Checking whether any additional relevant information is available.
- Clearing up any misunderstanding.
- Correction of any mistakes that were made.
- A recommendation regarding whether the original decision should be changed.
The timeframe for an appeal will depend on the complexity of the issue. The beneficiary will be informed in writing of the appeal outcome once the determination has been made.
If a beneficiary is unhappy with the outcome of an appeal there are outside agencies that may be able to help:
Family and Community Services (FACS)
Complaints Unit
Phone: 1800 000 164
NSW Ombudsman
The NSW Ombudsman handles complaints about the administrative conduct of NSW government agencies and funded services such as the NSW Spectacles Program. In relation to Vision Australia, this could include the adequacy of processes used to consider an application for spectacles, and how a complaint had been dealt with by Vision Australia.
Contact 9286 1000 or toll free if outside Sydney 1800 451 524.