An external review is when a person or agency outside of Bond - who is impartial and independent – looks at your concern. This process is explained in the Student External Review Procedure.
If you’re unhappy with how your grievance or concern has been dealt with or consider the outcome to be made in error, you may be able to seek an external review.
Normally, you can only request an external review after you’ve gone through the University’s internal grievance processes and received a final outcome.
There are two main options for students to seek an external review: the Student Ombudsman and the National Student Ombudsman.
Student Ombudsman
If you are a current student and have received the outcome of a formal appeal, you can, in most cases, ask the Student Ombudsman to review that outcome. The Student Ombudsman will conduct such inquiries as they think fit. They do not act as an advocate for the student or the University.
The Student Ombudsman cannot change the decision under review, but they will check whether the University followed its published policies and procedures in reaching the outcome. They may conclude that the University acted reasonably and within its policies and procedures or they make one or more recommendations to the University, including that the University review its decision further or review its policies and procedures
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If you’re a current student, you can request a review by emailing academicsecretariat@bond.edu.au within 20 business days of receiving the outcome of your appeal.
The Student Ombudsman can review most formal appeal outcomes, except in the following cases:
- If your application to a program was rejected for reasons not related to entry requirements or quotas – go to the National Student Ombudsman;
- If you’re asking for a recrediting of FEE-HELP remission due to special circumstances – go to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal;
- If you’re asking for a refund of tuition fees – go to the National Student Ombudsman;
- If you’re an international student excluded due to unsatisfactory academic progress – go to the National Student Ombudsman.
Submission and processing timeframes, criteria, and other information related to reviews by the Student Ombudsman are set out in clause 4.1 of the Student External Review Procedure.
National Student Ombudsman
The National Student Ombudsman is available for students to escalate complaints for a range of issues including student safety and wellbeing, racism and racial vilification, discrimination, gender-based violence, course administration, and the fairness and effectiveness of student complaints processes.
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The National Student Ombudsman (NSO) works with students and universities to resolve complaints. The NSO is a free service available to current, prospective, and former students including domestic and international students.
- The NSO can investigate issues like student safety and wellbeing, racism, gender-based violence, course administration, teaching provisions and facilities, disciplinary processes, reasonable adjustments and the fairness and effectiveness of a higher education provider’s student complaints processes.
- The NSO can’t review complaints related to a vocational education and training (VET) course, an individuals' employment with a higher education provider or the appointment of a person to an office of a higher education provider.
- The NSO can’t review complaints about academic decisions, such as your grades.
- The NSO can’t make new decisions, but they check the way a decision was made and can make recommendations to the university on how the decision or process could be improved.
- The service is confidential. If you’re unsure whether to make a complaint, call 1300 395 775, or check out www.nso.gov.au for more information.
If you’re an international student on a Student visa and you lodge a complaint with the NSO after appealing your exclusion for unsatisfactory academic progress, you must provide evidence of lodgement of such a complaint within 20 working days from the date of the notification of the internal appeal outcome. Email evidence of your complaint lodgement to academicsecretariat@bond.edu.au.
Other Agencies
If your issue cannot be escalated externally to either Ombudsman, there are a range of other agencies that may be able to assist you.
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Students are advised to visit the website of other external agencies to seek direction on submission criteria. While not exhaustive, the below list of external agencies may be able to review certain grievances.
- Re-credit of FEE-HELP balance: Administrative Review Tribunal (Administrative Review Tribunal)
- Intellectual property rights: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission
- Non-compliance with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act: Tertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency (TEQSA)
- Right to information or privacy breach: Office of the Information Commissioner