Customer service charter

Our customer service charter supports our commitment to upholding high standards of customer service, and provides you with information on how we do this. It defines the standards you can expect when dealing with us to ensure a positive customer experience.

Who are our customers?

A customer is any person who has direct contact or a commercial relationship with ORIC, including our stakeholders with whom we interact regularly. Contact may be through a range of ways, including telephone, website, face to face meetings, or in writing.

Purpose, vision and values

We are guided by our purpose, vision and values in everything we do. 

Our values are the foundation of how we conduct ourselves and interact with you, our customers. All employees and contractors of ORIC are asked to uphold these values.

• Independence – The Registrar is independent and apolitical. We are balanced in how we exercise the Registrar’s powers and do so without influence or interference.
• Impartiality – We remain neutral and treat all equally. We apply our policies and processes consistently, and we listen to all perspectives to ensure decisions and actions are free from bias.
• Respect – We show regard for the dignity of Indigenous people, their cultures, views and self-determination. We respect the diversity and worth of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander corporations and are committed to high-quality products and services that support them to achieve their purpose.
• Accountability – We are open and transparent in our decision-making and actions, accept responsibility for them, and are responsive to scrutiny.

Our commitment to you

We are committed to:

• responding to you in a timely and respectful manner
• being realistic and transparent in terms of what we can do and by when
• taking care to understand your enquiry, request or complaint
• providing you with the correct information
• communicating using clear and simple language
• respecting privacy and confidentiality
• consistency in our assessments and decision making  
• making decisions where we:
  • undertake due diligence
  • clearly document our reasoning
  • address all issues you raise with us
  • explain our deicisions to you in plain English which is easy to understand
• informing you of your right to request a review and your other rights
• monitoring and improving our performance and services. 

The Registrar is focused building a culture of self-regulation, where low risk corporations are:

• trusted and supported to undertake self-assessments
• committed to continuous improvement
• able to implement remedial action when necessary. 

To this end, we will provide high-quality, relevant education and training materials to support corporations to build their capability and meet their obligations under the CATSI Act.

Where regulatory action is required, we will use powers under the CATSI Act consistently, reasonably, and proportionally. We will work with corporations to assist them overcome challenges, but where the need arises, we will act swiftly to implement more direct regulatory responses.

How you can help us meet our commitment

You can help us fulfil our commitment to you by:

• meeting your responsibilities when dealing with us
• listening to us and understanding when concerns are outside of our remit so you will need to talk to someone else
• doing what we ask you to in a timely manner
• meeting your obligations under the CATSI Act
• contacting us when you are not clear what you need to do
• being clear about the matter you are raising with us and the outcome you want
• providing us with constructive feedback when we can do better.