Establishing the Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme

Listen

We’re seeking your views on the design and implementation of the new Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme to resolve aviation customer complaints and improve outcomes for travellers.

Why we want your input

Your feedback will inform the design of the new Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme to ensure it is effective and provides appropriate protections for air travellers.

How you can voice your opinion

You can have your say by reading the consultation paper and making a written submission below. The paper contains questions to help guide your response.

What will be the outcome of this consultation?

Your views will help inform the final design and implementation of a legislated Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme to provider greater protections and remedies for air travellers.

The Issue

Submissions received through the 2024 Aviation White Paper: Towards 2050 process made it clear that aviation customers are dissatisfied with how Australian airlines and airports have interpreted their obligations to customers. This was particularly acute during the reopening period following the COVID-19 pandemic when there were historically high rates of delayed and cancelled flights. Submissions also reported long delays in airlines’ responsiveness to complaints and unsatisfactory outcomes from complaints referred to the industry-led dispute resolution body – the Airline Customer Advocate (ACA).

The Australian Government is committed to supporting aviation customers to receive the support and remedies they are entitled to from airlines and airports and to working with the aviation sector to improve air travel for all. The Aviation White Paper: Towards 2050 announced the establishment of a new independent Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme for Australia.

We are interested in your views on the design and implementation of the new ombuds scheme, including:

Design of the scheme
Complaint handling
Guidance and reporting
Show cause arrangements
Scheme compliance

In establishing the new Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme, the government will also consider the examples of existing industry ombuds schemes, and similar bodies, in Australia and overseas. The outcomes of consultation are expected to be considered by government by early 2025.

Relevant documentation

Consultation Paper – The Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme
Aviation White Paper

Participate

26 Aug 2024 10:00 AEST

17 Oct 2024 23:59 AEDT

Closed

We invite you to tell us your views on this topic.

Please include:

contact name
organisation name, if applicable
contact details, including telephone number, postal and email addresses
confirmation whether or not your submission can be made public—published—or kept confidential.

All submissions to be made public need to meet the Digital Service Standard for accessibility. Any submission that does not meet this standard may be modified before being made public.

If your submission is to be made public, please ensure you do not include any personal information that you don't want to be published.

If your submission is confidential, please ensure each page of the submission is marked as confidential.

Please click on the 'Have your say now' button below to upload your submission.

This consultation is closed.

Privacy Collection Notice

Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme

Your submission, including any personal information supplied, is being collected by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts (“the Department”) in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.

Use

The Department may use your submission to inform the development of policy and legislation to establish the new Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme.

Disclosure

The Department may disclose your submission (including confidential submissions) to the Attorney-Generals’ Department and the Australian Human Rights Commission where it concerns matters relating to the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA), for the purpose of designing and implementing the Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme.

The Department may publish your submission as explained below. Otherwise your submission will not be disclosed unless authorised or required by law.

Contacting You

The Department may use your contact information to make further contact with you about your submission and the consultation process.

Publication

Unless marked confidential (see below) submissions (including the author’s name) may be published in part or full on the Department’s website or in any public response by the Department. When publishing, the Department will redact any personal contact details of the author.

Confidentiality

Confidential submissions will not be published and will only be disclosed in the following circumstances:

in response to a request by a Commonwealth Minister;
to the Attorney-General’s Department and the Australian Human Rights Commission where it concerns matters relating to the DDA for the purposes of designing and implementing the Aviation Industry Ombuds Scheme;
where required by a House or a Committee of the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia;
where necessary in the public interest; or
where authorised or required by law.

Submissions will only be treated as confidential if they are expressly stated to be confidential. Automatically generated confidentiality statements or disclaimers appended to an email do not suffice for this purpose. If you wish you make a confidential submission, you must indicate this by ensuring your submission is clearly marked confidential. Even if a submission is not marked confidential, the Department may choose not to publish it, or any part of it, in the Department’s discretion (for example where it includes personal information or opinions about a third party).

Access

The Department will securely store your personal information and the Department’s privacy policy contains information regarding complaint handling processes and how to access and/or seek correction of personal information held by the Department. Further information is available at Privacy | Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts.