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Department of Transport and Main Roads

Compliments and complaints

We value your feedback because it helps us improve our business. We welcome the opportunity to assist you and aim to respond promptly and effectively.

Our complaints management system aligns with the Queensland Public Service Customer complaint management framework and Customer complaint management guideline.

How can I provide a compliment or complaint?

You can:

What if I need help?

If you experience problems accessing any of the information on our site, please contact us and we will try our best to fix the problem or provide the information in an alternative format. There are also services available to assist you if you need help to provide feedback.

Please use the following links to translate this page via the Google web page translation tool. Please note, we are not responsible for the effectiveness of the Google translation tool and some content may not be translated.

Who can complain?

Everyone has the right to complain and there's no charge to make a complaint. You can make a complaint on your own, jointly with someone else or have another person (such as a family member, friend or advocate) act on your behalf.

You can also make a complaint anonymously. Please try to provide as much information as possible, so that we can properly investigate and take any necessary action.

What can I complain about?

Complaints can be made about a range of issues, including:

  • a decision the department has or has not made.
  • a service the department has or has not provided.
  • a policy, product or project of the department.
  • the behaviour of our staff.
  • an alleged limitation of your human rights under the Human Rights Act 2019.

What should I do first?

If you have a complaint or other feedback, there are some steps that can help us to help you.

  • Act quickly—please tell us about any problems as soon as possible. The earlier you tell us, the sooner we can act.
  • Go local—many concerns can be resolved quickly and easily by speaking with our local staff or the service provider in the first instance.
  • Make it clear—describe the issue and tell us everything that’s relevant in the order it happened. This might include dates, times, what action has been taken so far and any supporting information. Also make sure you tell us what outcome you’re seeking or the action you want us to take.
  • Keep us informed—please tell us about any changes that may affect your complaint, including if help is no longer required.

When is the department unable to manage a complaint?

We value all feedback, but there may be times when we're unable to manage your complaint.

This may include if:

  • a matter is being dealt with by an external complaint agency, court or tribunal.
  • it's not possible to establish the department's jurisdiction in the matter.
  • the complaint is outside of the 12 month timeframe and there are no special circumstances identified which warrant action.
  • the complaint is abusive, threatening or contains offensive language.

What happens to my complaint?

Your complaint will be assessed for action and we may contact you for further information. If you would like a response, we will inform you of the outcome of your complaint once any investigations are complete or earlier if needed.

All personal information that we collect to manage complaints will be handled in accordance with the Information Privacy Act 2009. Find out more about privacy.

We will use the information and issues raised in your complaint, and other feedback we receive, to learn, grow and improve our business. We also welcome feedback on our Complaints management policy, Easy to read complaints policy and complaints handling process.

How long will it take?

We will try to action your complaint as quickly as possible.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 business days and respond within 15 business days. If your issue is complex or involves a human rights complaint, a more detailed investigation may be needed. This may take up to 45 business days and we will keep you informed of progress, if needed.

Further action

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your complaint, you can request an internal review.

Your request should:

  • be in writing if possible
  • be lodged within 20 business days of you receiving the decision about your complaint
  • detail why you wish the matter be reviewed
  • include any new information that should be considered
  • explain how you have been affected by the decision
  • detail what action you would like taken to resolve the complaint.

An internal review will be conducted by an officer who wasn’t substantively involved in the original complaint and who is at an equivalent or more senior level to the original decision maker.

They will conduct a merits review and examine if the complaints management process for the complaint was appropriate and/or if the outcome reached was reasonable. An internal review does not generally involve a reinvestigation of the complaint.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of the internal review you can contact the Queensland Ombudsman or the Queensland Human Rights Commission.

Complaints statistics

In 2022–23, we managed 20.5 million customer interactions and there were 173.7 million trips on public transport in South East Queensland.

In comparison with 2021–22, complaint volumes increased by 38% from 28,673 complaints to 39,673 complaints. This corresponds to increases in annual customer interactions and patronage on public transport services. Customer complaints represent less than 1% of these customer interactions.

Of the 39,673 customer complaints, there were:

  • 14,690 complaints resulting in further action
  • 24,812 complaints resulting in no further action
  • 171* complaints still under investigation.

*As at 7 September 2023.

71% of 2022–23 complaints were responded to within service standards of 15 working days. Of these 27,991 complaints, the average response time was 5 working days. 11,511 complaints were responded to outside of 15 working days and predominantly involved complex issues, human rights or required extensive investigation. Customers were provided with progress updates as needed.

Under the Human Rights Act 2019, customers are able to make a human rights complaint to us. In 2022-23, 37 of the 39,673 complaints were identified and managed as human rights complaints. Of these, 29 complaints were unsubstantiated, and 8 were substantiated and found to involve actions or decisions that were incompatible with the Human Rights Act 2019. The 8 substantiated complaints were predominantly seeking improvements to service delivery and performance, relating to accessibility concerns and allegations of discrimination. The complaints provided us with an opportunity to reflect and improve our decision-making processes.

Complaints resources

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Last updated 22 December 2023

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