About this policy
This Centrepay complaints policy outlines how Caring Abode (Lama Care Pty Ltd trading as Caring Abode) will manage and handle feedback and complaints from Centrepay customers.
It sits alongside our broader Complaints Policy and applies specifically to concerns about Centrepay deductions, set-up, variation, cancellation, refunds and the administration of Centrepay-related payments under our agreement with Services Australia.
Accessing this policy
Our complaints policy can be accessed:
- on our website at www.caringabode.com.au/centrepay-complaints
- on display in our office at our Parramatta NSW head office
- when you sign any forms with us to use Centrepay
We will also provide a printed or emailed copy of our policy within 5 business days upon request — at no cost to you. Translated and large-print versions are available on request.
How a customer can make a complaint
You can make a complaint using any of these channels:
- Phone: 1300 856 616 — Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm AEST
- Email: complaints@caringabode.com.au or info@caringabode.com.au
- In person: at our Parramatta NSW head office (visits by appointment)
- Online: via the form on our Contact page
- In writing: Lama Care Pty Ltd trading as Caring Abode, Parramatta NSW
When you make a complaint, the following details will help us investigate and resolve the complaint:
- The date or dates when the issue happened
- Your name and contact details
- Any supporting documents or information — for example, your account or reference number, copies of statements, or Centrepay deduction history
- Details of the issue or concern, including amounts, location, staff you spoke to or when you contacted for help
You may choose to have an authorised third-party make a complaint on your behalf. This could include a financial counsellor, community lawyer, Support Coordinator, or a trusted friend or family member. We will accept established third party authority forms in these instances. In the absence of a form, we may seek confirmation from you that the person is authorised to act on your behalf.
How we'll manage a customer complaint
What customers can expect from us when making a complaint.
Caring Abode will:
- Acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days of receipt
- Respond in writing or verbally, if a written response isn't possible
- Aim to resolve the complaint within 20 business days
- Review the complaint fairly and impartially, without discrimination or detriment
- Handle all complaints confidentially, and in accordance with privacy obligations under the Australian Privacy Principles and our Privacy Policy
- Escalate serious or complex complaints to senior management — and where appropriate, to the General Manager — within the same business day
- Never disadvantage a participant for making a complaint
We will keep customers informed of progress as we investigate and resolve complaints. All correspondence will be documented in our complaints register.
How we'll manage an unresolved customer complaint
When a customer complaint is serious, repeated or remains unresolved, we will refer the complaint in writing to Services Australia within 5 business days.
We may also refer the matter to a relevant ombudsman or consumer protection agency, where required. These services can be contacted at any time about the outcome — you do not have to come to us first.
Services Australia
Services Australia can be contacted using any of the following:
- By calling the feedback and complaints service on 1800 132 468
- Online via the Services Australia website or by using your Centrelink online account
- In writing to:
Centrelink and Medicare, Services Australia Complaints and Feedback
Reply Paid 7800
Canberra BC ACT 2610 - In person at a Centrelink service centre
Other regulatory and consumer bodies
If your complaint is related to other services, you can also contact:
- NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission — for any concern about an NDIS service or worker.
Phone 1800 035 544 · ndiscommission.gov.au - NSW Ombudsman — for concerns about how a complaint was handled.
Phone 1800 451 524 · ombo.nsw.gov.au - NSW Fair Trading — for tenancy and consumer matters.
Phone 13 32 20 · fairtrading.nsw.gov.au - Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) — for privacy complaints.
Phone 1300 363 992 · oaic.gov.au - Commonwealth Ombudsman — for complaints about Australian Government services including Services Australia.
Phone 1300 362 072 · ombudsman.gov.au
Record keeping
Our record keeping practices are set out below.
Lama Care Pty Ltd (trading as Caring Abode) maintains complaint records relating to Centrepay securely for a minimum of 7 years, in accordance with privacy obligations and Services Australia's record-keeping requirements under the Centrepay Policy for Businesses.
Records are stored electronically in our access-controlled complaints management system, with paper records (where they exist) held in a locked cabinet at our head office. Only authorised staff have access. Information retained may include, but is not limited to:
- Details of the complainant (or third-party representative)
- Details of the complaint, including the date received and category
- Actions taken, including investigation steps and communications
- The outcome of the complaint
- Any referral or reports to relevant regulatory authorities, including information about dispute resolution schemes
Review of this policy
This policy is reviewed at least annually, and whenever there is a change to the Centrepay Policy for Businesses, the Centrepay Terms of Use, or relevant NDIS Practice Standards. The next scheduled review date is shown at the top of this page.
Contact us
To raise a Centrepay-related complaint, give feedback, or ask a question about this policy:
- complaints@caringabode.com.au
- 1300 856 616
- Lama Care Pty Ltd trading as Caring Abode, Parramatta NSW