Australian Financial Complaints Authority Rules¶


Regulator	AFCA
Jurisdiction	AU
Status	live
Applicability	Platform

The Australian Financial Complaints Authority Rules set out the obligations of AFCA member financial firms for external dispute resolution (EDR). All Australian Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions must be AFCA members. The Rules require that Internal Dispute Resolution (IDR) is exhausted before a complaint is referred to AFCA, that members co-operate fully with AFCA investigations, and that determinations are implemented within prescribed timeframes.

AFCA replaces the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), the Credit and Investments Ombudsman (CIO), and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT). The Rules are binding on members and enforceable. AFCA determinations, if accepted by the complainant, are binding on the member. The monetary limits for determinations relevant to a retail bank are: general financial services AU$1,000,000; credit facilities AU$2,000,000; non-financial loss AU$5,000.

Compliance register¶

This register maps every material obligation under the AFCA Rules to the platform control or institutional process that satisfies it. It is the static traceability layer for the Totara compliance report — dynamic data (module build status, test evidence, control test dates) is overlaid at runtime.

Scope legend¶

Symbol	Meaning
🤖 Automated	Platform enforces or performs the obligation. Primary control mode is GATE, AUTO, CALC, or ALERT. Human action is not required in the normal case.
📊 Evidenced	Platform captures the evidence trail automatically. Human compliance decision sits on top. Primary control mode is LOG.
🏛 Institutional	Obligation is met by a process entirely outside the platform — training programmes, board governance, HR, legal. Platform may generate evidence inputs but does not own the process.
N/A	Obligation does not apply to this deployment configuration.

Build legend¶

Symbol	Meaning
✅	Module built and deployed
🔨	Module planned — not yet built (`build_status: Not started`)
❌	Uncontrolled gap — no module attributed

Part A — IDR exhaustion before AFCA referral¶

Ref	Obligation	Scope	Policy	Platform controls	Build
Rule 6.1	IDR process must be completed and a final response issued before a complaint can be referred to AFCA	🤖 Automated	CON-002	MOD-053 (AUTO) — IDR case workflow tracks complaint to resolution; AFCA referral status is set automatically when IDR period is exhausted and no final response has been issued; MOD-047 (LOG) — full IDR process auditable for AFCA review	🔨
Rule 6.2	Final IDR response must notify the complainant of their right to refer to AFCA and provide AFCA contact details	🤖 Automated	CON-002	MOD-053 (AUTO) — AFCA right-to-refer notice is a mandatory template element in final IDR response; system blocks closure without confirming notice was delivered; MOD-083 (AUTO) — IDR obligations surfaced to agent during complaint interaction	🔨

Part B — Co-operation with AFCA investigations¶

Ref	Obligation	Scope	Policy	Platform controls	Build
Rule 7.5(a)	Respond to AFCA case manager requests within 10 business days	📊 Evidenced	CON-002	MOD-053 (LOG) — all AFCA case interactions logged with timestamps; response deadline tracked and flagged on breach; MOD-047 (LOG) — action audit trail available for AFCA case submissions	🔨
Rule 7.5(b)	Provide all relevant documents and information requested by AFCA	📊 Evidenced	CON-002	MOD-053 (LOG) — case management record provides the document base for AFCA submission; MOD-047 (LOG) — agent actions, decision rationale, and case notes are captured as part of the evidence package	🔨
Rule 7.6	Co-operate with AFCA in good faith; not take action to frustrate the process	🏛 Institutional	CON-002	Institutional conduct obligation — governed by AFCA membership terms. Platform does not enforce good-faith conduct; it provides the evidence that demonstrates it.	—

Part C — Remediation and determination implementation¶

Ref	Obligation	Scope	Policy	Platform controls	Build
Rule 9.4	Implement AFCA determination within 30 days of acceptance by the complainant	🤖 Automated	CON-002	MOD-053 (AUTO) — determination implementation is tracked as a case action with a 30-day deadline; escalation triggered if not marked complete; MOD-149 (LOG) — scam reimbursement cases subject to AFCA determination are tracked through the reimbursement workflow	🔨
Rule 9.5	Record and report determined cases; maintain case register	📊 Evidenced	CON-002	MOD-053 (LOG) — all AFCA cases, outcomes, and implementation status are recorded; complaint register feeds regulatory reporting obligations	🔨

Part D — Reportable situations (ASIC obligation)¶

Ref	Obligation	Scope	Policy	Platform controls	Build
Corporations Act S.912DAA	Report to ASIC within 30 days if AFCA determination adverse to member, or if systemic issue identified during IDR/EDR	📊 Evidenced	CON-002	MOD-053 (LOG) — adverse determinations and systemic issue flags are recorded; ASIC reportable situation is flagged in case status for CCO review; human compliance officer makes notification decision	🔨

Institutional obligations (not platform scope)¶

The following obligations under the AFCA Rules are the responsibility of the institution, not the platform.

Obligation	Owner	Platform evidence input
AFCA membership maintenance and annual fee	Chief Compliance Officer	—
Staff training on IDR and AFCA referral procedures	Head of Customer Experience	MOD-053 provides agent workflow that embeds procedures operationally
Board-level oversight of complaints and EDR outcomes	Board / CEO	MOD-053 complaint register provides board reporting data inputs
Systemic issue escalation and remediation programme design	Chief Compliance Officer	MOD-053 flags systemic patterns; investigation and remediation design is institutional

Coverage summary¶

Area	Total obligations	Platform automated 🤖	Platform evidenced 📊	Institutional 🏛
IDR exhaustion	2	2	0	0
Co-operation	3	0	2	1
Remediation	2	1	1	0
Reportable situations	1	0	1	0
Total	8	3 (38%)	4 (50%)	1 (12%)

All attributed modules are currently build_status: Not started — the compliance position will update as modules are built and deployed.

Policy	Title
CON-002	Complaints & Internal Dispute Resolution Policy

Official documentation¶

Policies referencing this standard¶

CON-002 — Complaints & Internal Dispute Resolution Policy

Compiled 2026-05-22 from source/entities/regulations/au-afca-rules.yaml