Any member of the public who is or has been a client of a professional member, hereinafter called a practitioner, of the Australasian Association of Ayurveda inc., hereinafter called the AAA, has the right to lodge a complain against the practitioner to the AAA if the services provided by the practitioner is unsatisfactory or he/she believes that he/she may have been subjected to sexual harassment, sexual discrimination, racial vilification or racial discrimination as defined by the State / Territory and Commonwealth Acts, Laws, By-Laws and Regulations of the relevant State/ Territory of the Commonwealth of Australia.

1. The complaint must be lodged in writing to the Secretary or the President of the AAA.

2. The complaint must contain

i. The name, address and contact details of the complainant and the parties involved,
ii. The name and address of the practitioner and the location where the alleged incident may have occurred,
iii. A clear description of the alleged incident.

3. Upon receipt of such a complaint the President or the Secretary will advise the complainant of the receipt of the complaint and call a meeting of the Executive Committee, hereinafter called the EC, as soon as practicable.

4. The EC will establish a 3-members Sub-Committee to investigate the complaint.

5. The Chairman of the Sub-Committee will forward a copy of the complaint to the practitioner against whom the complaint is lodged for the right of reply by the practitioner.

6. Upon receipt of the reply from the practitioner the Sub-Committee will investigate the alleged complaint, as it considers appropriate and make a report of the findings with the recommendations to the EC.

7. Upon receipt of the report of the Sub -Committee the EC will consider the

8. It is the aim of the AAA to reach an amicable resolution between the parties.

9. In case an amicable resolution is not reached the AAA will advise the complainant of other avenues the complainant may wish to pursue, such as Equal Opportunity Commission or Consumers Affairs Commission of the relevant State/ Territory, legal proceedings, etc.

10. In the case of the serious breach of the Code of Ethics of the AAA by the practitioner the EC may decide as appropriate to cancel the membership all together or suspend the membership until such time that reinstating the practitioner’s membership be deemed appropriate.

11. In case of cancellation or suspension of membership the practitioner will be given an opportunity to appeal against the decision of the EC in writing.

i. Upon receipt of the appeal the EC will establish a separate 3-members Sub- Committee to consider the Appeal.
ii. The appellant will be given full opportunity to present his/her case to the Appeal Sub- Committee.
iii. The decision of the Appeal Sub-Committee will be the final.

12. Complaints can be lodged directly to the following bodies:

i. Australian Capital Territory – Health Services Commission
ii. New South Wales – Health Care Complaints Commission
iii. New Zealand – Health & Disability Commissioner
iv. Northern Territory – Health & Community Services Complaints Commission
v. Queensland – Health Quality & Complaints Commission
vi. South Australia – Health & Community Services Complaints Commissioner
vii. Tasmania – Health Complaints Commissioner
viii. Victoria – Office of Health Services Commissioner
ix. Western Australia – Health and Disability Services Complaints Office