GoAutoMedia understands that occasionally readers may be dissatisfied with the content of our publications and wish to make a complaint.

Please follow the steps below if you wish to complain about editorial content.

This policy only applies to complaints about editorial content in our publications and in the digital services that we control.

How to complain

Write or email with details of your complaint with reference to the material you wish to complain about. Provide a link to the material if it was published online or, if it was in one of our PDF products, provide the publication title, date, page and headline and any other documents that will help us assess your complaint. Reference must be made as to the nature of your complaint. Complaints received without relevant information may not be considered.

The address for written complaints are: via email [email protected] or post to Complaints, GoAutoMedia, PO Box 18, Sandringham, 3191.

Complaints will be accepted up to four months from the date the first publication of the item(s) that you are complaining about.

Our response

We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days of receipt. If we accept a complaint is valid, we will resolve any issues surrounding a complaint to the best of our ability within 28 days of receiving all the necessary information in relation to the complaint.

If we accept that your complaint is valid, we will seek to remedy the breach as quickly as possible, in the next printed edition or immediately if it is an online complaint, with a correction or apology if appropriate.

All complainants will be treated fairly, courteously and with respect.

We reserve the right to disregard any complaints that are made in an abusive or offensive manner.

If at any stage during the complaint handling process we do not hear back from you within 14 days, we will consider your complaint satisfied and closed.

Assessment

Our complaints handling process is transparent. The reasonableness or otherwise of a complaint will be assessed against our editorial code of practice. Key criteria against which the reasonableness of a complaint will be tested reflect a commitment to public interest journalism's highest principles: accuracy and clarity; fairness and balance; privacy and avoidance of harm; integrity and transparency. Complaints that clearly indicate a breach of these standards will be resolved as matter of priority.

Appeal process

If you are unhappy with our final response to your complaint you may complain to Australian Press Council (presscouncil.org.au). We will confirm in writing that you have exhausted our internal complaints procedure.