The MLC Wealth Complaints Policy (‘The Policy’) has been developed to ensure that each complaint is addressed in a consistent, fair, and reasonable manner when you express your dissatisfaction.
Managing and resolving client complaints add value to the way we operate, as it allows us to:
This document sets out our policy for dealing with complaints received from clients and other people eligible to complain as outlined in Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s (ASIC) Regulatory Guides 165/271 (RG165/RG271).1
This Policy applies to the product issuers of investment, superannuation, and retirement products known as Antares Capital Partners ABN 85 066 081 11 AFSL 234483, MLC Investments Limited ABN 30 002 641 661 AFSL 230705, Navigator Australia Limited ABN 45 006 302 987 AFSL 236466, NULIS Nominees (Australia) Limited (NULIS) ABN 80 008 515 633 AFSL 236465, MLC Asset Management Pty Ltd ABN 44 106 427 472 AFSL 308953 and MLC Asset Management Services Limited ABN 38 055 638 474 AFSL 230687, collectively ‘MLC Wealth’. References to ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’, ‘MLC’ in this Policy are references to the MLC Group.2
All MLC employees, including casual, temporary, and contracted employees as well as executives and non-executive directors, any independent board committee members that are not directors and any third parties acting on behalf of MLC (collectively referred to as ‘personnel’ in this Policy) must comply with this Policy.
In accordance with ASIC Regulatory Guides 1653 and 271 and Australian/New Zealand Standard ISO 10002-2014, a complaint is defined as:
An expression of dissatisfaction:
To achieve a positive client experience, we ensure that the business model for complaint resolution is optimised to uphold the below principles:
Complaints can be received from clients, their authorised representatives, and various other stakeholders.
We will not exclude complaints received from third parties and we will accept complaints from complainants as defined in RG 271 (as a minimum).
These can include (and may not be limited to):
Complaints can be made online, by phone, email or in writing
Product |
Phone - weekdays 8.30am to 6.30pm (AEST) |
Website |
Writing |
|
MLC MasterKey
|
132 652 (Outside Australia +61 3 8634 4721) |
complaints@mlc.com.au | mlc.com.au/complaint | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
MLC Navigator/Wrap Superannuation and Investment e.g.
|
132 652 (Outside Australia +61 3 8634 4721) |
complaints@mlc.com.au | mlc.com.au/complaint | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
Plum
|
1300 55 7586 (Outside Australia +61 3 9222 4800) |
complaints@mlc.com.au | plum.com.au/complaints | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
Blueprint Superannuation and Investment Plan |
1300 852 933 | complaints@investinfo.com.au | investinfo.com.au/blueprint | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
DPM Superannuation and Investment Plan |
1300 367 236 | complaints@investinfo.com.au | investinfo.com.au/dpm | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
Enevita Superannuation and Investment Plan |
1300 852 966 | complaints@investinfo.com.au | investinfo.com.au/enevita | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
FC One Superannuation and Investment Plan |
1300 853 244 | complaints@investinfo.com.au | investinfo.com.au/fcone | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
PremiumChoice Superannuation and Investment Plan |
1300 880 054 | complaints@investinfo.com.au | investinfo.com.au/premiumchoice | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
Portfoliofocus Superannuation and Investment Plan |
1300 769 613 | complaints@investinfo.com.au | investinfo.com.au/portfoliofocus | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
St Andrew’s Superannuation and Investment Plan |
1300 769 815 | complaints@investinfo.com.au | investinfo.com.au/standrews | GPO Box 4341, Melbourne, Vic, 3001 |
Investment Manager (Antares Equities) |
Weekdays 8.30am to 5.30pm (AEST) 1300 738 355 |
client.services@mlcam.com.au | mlcam.com.au/terms-and-conditions | Level 5, 105 Miller Street, North Sydney NSW 2060, Australia |
Investment Manager (MLC Private Equity, Antares Fixed Income) |
Weekdays 8.30am to 5.30pm (AEST) 1300 738 355 |
client.services@mlcam.com.au | mlcam.com.au/terms-and-conditions | Level 5, 105 Miller Street, North Sydney NSW 2060, Australia |
Please note, insurance claim related complaints in respect of each product above should also be directed to the above contact points.
From 5 October 2021, complaints made on a social media channel or account owned or controlled by the financial firm that is the subject of the post, where the author is both identifiable and contactable will follow the IDR process. When lodging a complaint, providing the following information assists us in responding and investigating your complaint in a timely manner:
We work with a number of support services to enable clients with disabilities or vulnerabilities to raise their concerns.
If you would like further information about the National Relay Service, phone 1800 555 660 or email helpdesk@relayservice.com.au
If you make a complaint anonymously or use a pseudonym and do not provide us with enough information to identify you and/or contact you, we may not be able to apply all of our complaints handling processes.
We value all complaints and aim to respond to you promptly. We recognise some complaints are particularly urgent and we assess and prioritise complaints according to the urgency and severity of the issues raised. When dealing with complaints, staff must ensure that the principle of fairness underpins the investigation and outcome of the complaint.
Fairness ensures that you have the right to:
The recipient of a complaint will acknowledge within 24 hours (or one business day) of receiving it, or as soon as practicable. We will acknowledge a complaint verbally or in writing (email, post, or social media channels). When determining the appropriate method of communication, we will consider the method used to lodge the complaint and any preferences expressed about communication methods.
With any complaint, we will consider what is fair and reasonable in the circumstances, as well as our obligations under the law and industry codes of practice. Where possible, we will aim to resolve your complaint at the time you raise it with us.
If you refer your complaint to us, we will work with you to resolve your complaint within the maximum timeframe prescribed by ASIC Regulatory Guides 165 and 271 (RG165/RG271) below:
Type of complaint |
Maximum timeframe for resolution*Pre 5 October 2021 |
Maximum timeframe for resolution*Post 5 October 2021 |
Superannuation complaints | 90 calendar days | 45 calendar days |
Non-Superannuation complaints e.g. Investment Products | 45 calendar days | 30 calendar days |
Privacy complaints | 30 calendar days | 30 calendar days |
Superannuation death benefit distribution complaints | No later than 90 calendar days after the expiry of the 28-calendar day period for objecting to a proposed death benefit distribution referred to in s1056(2)(a) of the Corporations Act. | No later than 90 calendar days after the expiry of the 28-calendar day period for objecting to a proposed death benefit distribution referred to in s1056(2)(a) of the Corporations Act. |
Advice and stockbroking complaints | 45 calendar days | 30 calendar days |
Credit-related complaints involving default notices | 21 calendar days | 21 calendar days |
Credit-related complaints involving hardship notices or requests to postpone enforcement proceedings | No later than 21 calendar days after receiving the complaint. Exceptions apply if the credit provider or lessor does not have sufficient information to make a decision, or if they reach an agreement with the complainant. | No later than 21 calendar days after receiving the complaint. Exceptions apply if the credit provider or lessor does not have sufficient information to make a decision, or if they reach an agreement with the complainant. |
If we realise, we will need more than the maximum timeframe to investigate and resolve a complaint, we will write to you before that time has expired and explain why more time is needed. The written response will include the status of the complaint, the reasons for the delay, the way to escalate your complaint to an EDR scheme, and the name and contact details of the relevant EDR scheme.
We will work with you to explore options for resolving your complaint. If we cannot resolve the complaint with you, we will provide the reasons for the decision we make, including providing supporting information where applicable.
We will provide a response to you in writing if we take more than 5 business days to resolve your complaint.
We will also provide a written response, even where the complaint is closed by the end of the fifth business day, if:
If your complaint relates to a financial service or product you may be able to request a free and impartial review by AFCA. AFCA offers a fair, independent, and accessible dispute resolution for consumers who are unable to resolve complaints directly with their financial services provider.
You may have the option to lodge a complaint with AFCA directly rather than lodging a complaint with us, you are also able to lodge a complaint with AFCA if you are not satisfied with our response or if your complaint has not been resolved within the maximum timeframe prescribed by RG165/RG271 (refer to section 8.2).
Please note
Time limits may apply to raising complaints with AFCA, so you should act promptly or otherwise consult the AFCA website to find out if or when the time limit relevant to your circumstances expires.
You can contact AFCA at:
Website: afca.org.au Email: info@afca.org.au Phone: 1800 931 678 (free call) |
Postal Address: Australian Financial Complaints Authority GPO Box 3 Melbourne, VIC, 3001 |
If your complaint relates to a privacy matter and you are not satisfied with our response or if your complaint has not been resolved within 30 days, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at:
Website: oaic.gov.au Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au Phone: 1300 363 992 |
Postal address: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 2001 |
1 RG165 will be replaced by RG271 for complaints made from 5 October 2021.
2 The entities which comprise ‘MLC Wealth’ are part the group of companies comprising IOOF Holdings Ltd ABN 49 100 103 722 and its related bodies corporate (‘IOOF Group’).
3 The definition of complaint has been expanded to include the RG271 definition which includes ‘implicitly and legally required’
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IOOF Holdings Ltd ABN 49 100 103 722.
MLC Limited uses the MLC brand under licence. MLC Limited is a part of the Nippon Life Insurance Group and not part of the IOOF Group of Companies.