AFCA is committed to ensuring everyone in the Australian community can readily use our service. In line with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth), AFCA provides information and services in a non-discriminatory way. 

Our customers can choose to: 

• lodge their complaint in a way that works for them including over the phone, via our website or email 
• communicate with us via an interpreter (including Auslan) or the National Relay Service 
• request documents in large print, or translated into languages other than English 
• nominate a preferred method of communication, such as email or post 
• receive additional flexibility with our processes, including extended timeframes to gather records and prepare information 
• nominate an authorised consumer representative, or receive a referral to free financial counselling, community legal or other relevant advocacy service. 

There is no cost to our customers to engage with us, or to receive any of the additional support we provide. 

Guidance and resources for AFCA people

Not everyone who lodges a complaint with AFCA has the same background, capacity, resilience and resources. Some people are particularly susceptible to consumer detriment, due to personal circumstances or vulnerabilities such as:

• health – including mental health
• the impact of life events including trauma, injury, loss, family violence, incarceration, social and economic factors
• resilience – the ability to cope with stressors and shocks
• capacity – a person’s material and physical resources such as language, literacy, hearing, speech, vision and other physical conditions.

The better we understand our customers’ circumstances, the better we can tailor our service.

Customers who received additional support

Last financial year, 3,852 people disclosed they were experiencing difficult circumstances, or indicated they might need additional support from us, with the majority relating to mental health.

*One complaint can have multiple difficult circumstance types recorded.

Other help needed 

The second largest indicator, ‘other help needed’, gives people the option to provide additional information when they lodge their complaint, which may not fall under an existing category. In the last financial year our customers disclosed a range of lived experiences affecting their ability to manage their financial problems, including autism spectrum disorder, severe PTSD, chronic and terminal illnesses, incarceration, suicidal ideation and homelessness.

Accessibility guides 

To ensure we consistently provide the flexibility, empathy and understanding needed by customers, our people can access documented guidance and training, covering a broad range of topics including family violence, financial elder abuse, suicide prevention, mental health, and physical and cognitive disabilities. 

AFCA’s Accessibility and Inclusion network 

AFCA has developed a Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy as part of its commitment to be an employer of choice and to provide an accessible service. 

This strategy includes AFCA’s Accessibility and Inclusion Network, which harnesses the passion and experience of our people. The network has a governing council of senior people and now consists of employee resource groups and business resource groups. 

There are four employee resource groups that support our culture of diversity, inclusion and belonging: 

1. Ally Network: celebrates and supports LGBTQIA+ employees and allies.
2. Carer’s Network: supports and advocates for employees who have caring responsibilities.
3. Vis-Ability Network: supports and advocates for employees who identify as living with a disability or care for a person who does.
4. MOSIAC: celebrates multicultural and intersectional identities and diverse perspectives.

And there are three business resource groups that consider internal practices to proactively identify ways to increase the accessibility of our service: 

1. Mental Health Network: develops strategies to ensure our ways of working support customers experiencing poor mental health. 
2. Peer Support Network: provides practical accessibility guidance for our people engaging with customers who disclose lived experience of trauma, including domestic violence. 
3. Reconciliation Network: detailed information about our activities, including AFCA’s Reconciliation Action Plan.

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