The Australian Medical Council is an organisation whose work impacts across the lands of Australia and New Zealand.

The Australian Medical Council acknowledges the Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the original Australians and the Māori People as the tangata whenua (Indigenous) Peoples of Aotearoa (New Zealand). We recognise them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.

We pay our respects to them and to their Elders, both past, present and emerging, and we recognise their enduring connection to the lands we live and work on, and honour their ongoing connection to those lands, its waters and sky.

Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people should be aware that this website may contain images, voices and names of people who have passed away.

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Who can help

It can sometimes be difficult to know which organisation is best placed to respond to your concerns. The medical education, accreditation and registration system involves a number of different bodies, each with distinct roles and responsibilities. This page outlines who can assist with different types of complaints and provides guidance on where to direct your concern to ensure it is considered by the appropriate organisation.

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency

If your concern relates to the registration, conduct, health, or performance of an individual medical practitioner, these matters are managed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra) and the relevant Medical Board. Information about the types of concerns Ahpra can assist with, and how to raise a concern is available on their website.

National Health Practitioners Ombudsmen

If your concern relates to how Ahpra, a National Board, an accreditation authority, or a specialist medical college has handled a matter, you may wish to contact the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman (NHPO). The NHPO accepts complaints about the administrative handling of notifications, registration matters, accreditation decisions, assessment of overseas qualified practitioners, and the delivery of specialist medical college training programs. The NHPO also considers privacy complaints about how personal information has been collected, used or disclosed. More information is available on their website.

Student Ombudsmen

If you are a student and your concern relates to a higher education provider, you may be able to contact the National Student Ombudsman (NSO). The NSO is an independent, free and impartial body that accepts complaints from domestic and international students at TEQSA-registered providers, including medical students. It provides a external avenue for escalation where a university’s internal complaints processes have been exhausted. The NSO can consider concerns about student safety and wellbeing, administrative actions, disciplinary procedures, and disability adjustments. More information can be found on their website.

Education Provider

If your concern relates to the conduct of an education or training provider, including decisions about progression, examination outcomes, employment matters, or internal policies, these issues should generally be raised directly with the provider in the first instance through their reconsideration, review or appeals processes. Information about how to make a complaint or request a review is usually available on the provider’s website.

Australian Medical Council

The AMC can consider complaints and concerns about matters within our role and responsibilities, including accreditation decisions, assessment and examination processes, and compliance with AMC standards and policies. We can review information provided, seek responses from relevant organisations where appropriate, and escalate issues for further consideration by AMC committees or governance bodies. While we do not replace appeal, review, or employment processes run by other organisations, we use complaints to identify potential systemic issues, inform quality assurance activities, and support continuous improvement across the medical education and assessment system.