Make a complaint about an EPA authorised officer

The primary role of our authorised officers is to make sure people comply with the Environment Protection Act 2017(opens in a new window). They do this by:

inspecting businesses and premises
providing guidance and advice
enforcing the law.

Our officers have certain powers in this role. We expect them to use their powers with a high standard of professionalism and impartiality.

If you have concerns about the way an authorised officer has behaved, you can make a complaint or provide feedback. Our complaints management system allows us to resolve complaints fairly and consistently.

What you can make a complaint about

You can make a complaint about the conduct of an authorised officer if you consider that:

the interaction or communication was offensive
the officer's behaviour was aggressive, rude or abrupt
the officer or a delegate misused or abused their powers or authority
your query was unreasonably delayed or not addressed
the officer did not provide the information you needed to understand your compliance requirements
the officer's behaviour in public negatively reflected on us – for example, they were recklessly driving an EPA vehicle
the officer did not declare a conflict of interest relevant to the decision they made.

Our complaints management system does not include requests related to:

fines (infringement notices) – visit Review your fine
remedial notices – visit Review a remedial notice
information about a vehicle testing notice – for questions about a vehicle testing notice, contact us
public interest disclosures – report these to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission
discriminatory behaviour – contact the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission(opens in a new window).

How to submit your complaint

You have 4 options to submit your complaint:

complete the online complaint form below
contact our customer service team on 1300 372 842
email authorisedofficercomplaints@epa.vic.gov.au
post your complaint to Level 5, 664 Collins Street, Docklands VIC 3008.

You can help us to resolve your complaint by providing as much detail as possible – including:

what happened
when and where it happened (if applicable)
where we have not met your expectations
the names of people involved
any important documentation or explanations
how we can contact you
whether you need a translator.

If you prefer to remain anonymous, we still do our best to address your complaint. However, our success depends on the accuracy and the amount of information you provide.

Make a complaint

Please complete as much of the form as you can. Fields marked with a star (*) must be filled.

Section 1: Complainant contact details

Anonymous complaints: If you wish to remain anonymous you will need to submit enough information to allow us to consider your complaint. If you are making an anonymous complaint, leave out your personal details.

Title

Surname

Given name

Job title

Business phone

Mobile phone

Preferred method of communication(Required)

Mail

Lodging a complaint on behalf of someone else

Are you making this complaint on behalf of someone else?(Required)

Yes – please fill in information below

No – proceed to section 2

Section 2: Complaint details

Date of incident(Required)

Day

Month

Year

Approximate time of incident(Required)

If your complaint covers multiple dates, list the other dates.

Location of incident

Business name (i.e. trading name)

Not relevant for private residence.

Nature of business

Not relevant for private residence.

Street address(Required)

Suburb/town(Required)

State(Required)

Postcode

Describe your complaint

Name of authorised officer(Required)

Who are you making the complaint about?

Summary of the conduct complaint(Required)

One or two sentences describing the behaviour/conduct you are complaining about.

Details of the conduct complaint(Required)

Longer description of what happened.

What outcome are you seeking?(Required)

Please indicate what action you think should be taken to resolve your complaint; e.g. explanation, further information, written apology etc.

Supporting documents - file names

If you have supporting documents, please email them to authorisedofficercomplaints@epa.vic.gov.au, using the given name and surname you entered in Section 1 in the subject. List file names here.

Section 3. Other information

Do you require an interpreter?(Required)

Yes

Do you have any special needs we should consider when communicating with you?(Required)

Yes - please specify details below

Important email

How we manage your complaint

We try to resolve your complaint within 20 business days. We keep you updated if there are any delays in the process.

We are committed to reaching a fair outcome. Our process involves:

receiving your complaint – we acknowledge written complaints within 5 business days of receiving them.
triage – we triage your complaint based on the information you provided.

A complaint can follow a direct or escalation path for resolution.

direct resolution – if you're dissatisfied with an authorised officer's work, we contact you to discuss the matter and find solutions.
escalation resolution – if your complaint is about an authorised officer's behaviour, then we interview you, the officer and any others involved. We present the findings to our Complaints Review Panel for a decision. Panel members are independent of the authorised officer’s daily duties.

The outcome of a complaint resolution may be:

an explanation or clarification
an apology
mediation
a change in policy, procedure, practice or training
referral of your complaint to another body
disciplinary action.

If you're dissatisfied with the outcome of your complaint, we encourage you to contact the Victorian Ombudsman.(opens in a new window)

See our Authorised officer complaints management policy for details about our complaints management process.

Updated 14 May 2025