Office address: GPO Box 3, Melbourne VIC 3001 (primary mailing address)
Website: afca.org.au
Year established: 2018
Company type: external dispute resolution (EDR)
Employees: 1,200+
Expertise: banking, credit, insurance, superannuation, investments, legal, financial advice, dispute resolution, small business complaints, consumer complaints, financial services regulation
Parent company: N/A
Key people: David Locke (CEO and chief ombudsman); Dr June Smith (deputy chief ombudsman); Brigid Parsonson (acting COO); Anna Campbell (general counsel); Gerri Hill, Michael Ridgway and Erlene Graanoogst (executive general managers)
Financing status: not-for-profit
Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) is a not-for-profit company, led by a chief ombudsman and a board with equal industry and consumer voices. It helps consumers and small businesses sort out complaints with financial firms, taking over cases once managed by earlier ombudsman and complaints bodies.
AFCA is not a government agency or regulator but acts as the main dispute resolution scheme for financial services.
AFCA was set up after the Australian Government announced its creation in 2017, following a review of how financial complaints were handled. It officially started in 2018, taking over from the Financial Ombudsman Service, Credit and Investments Ombudsman and Superannuation Complaints Tribunal.
Since then, Australian Financial Complaints Authority has been the main for people and small businesses to sort out problems with financial firms. In 2023, AFCA looked into 111 big issues and helped return over $40 million to customers.
That same year, complaints about financial trouble rose by 25%, with many about how lenders handled requests for help. Out of 5,396 complaints, about a third were about home loans and hardship cases handled by banks.
In 2024, Australian Financial Complaints Authority saw more complaints and a big jump in scams. The group finished almost all of a three-year plan based on a Treasury review, updated its rules and improved its business systems. In 2025, AFCA supported new laws that made banks, telcos and digital platforms take stronger steps to stop scams.
Australian Financial Complaints Authority offers free and independent help for people and small businesses with financial complaints:
credit, finance and loan complaints: issues with mortgages, personal loans, credit cards and car loans
insurance complaints: problems with general, life and health insurance policies
banking deposits and payments complaints: disputes over bank accounts, payments and transactions
investments and financial advice complaints: concerns about investment products and advice from financial planners
superannuation complaints: issues with super funds, including payments and fund management
financial hardship complaints: help for those struggling to meet repayments or facing financial stress
legacy complaints: cases about past issues handled by previous ombudsman bodies
accessibility and support: help for people with different needs or language backgrounds
Consumer Portal: online platform to manage and track complaints
languages: support in multiple languages for broader access
AFCA Datacube: tool to see how financial firms handle complaints
find a financial firm or super fund: search function to locate firms or funds involved in a complaint
before you complain: guidance on steps to take before lodging a complaint
Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s services cover many types of financial disputes for people and small businesses across Australia. Membership is required for all financial firms under Australian law.
For mortgage brokers, see MPA’s AFCA membership guide for more information.
Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s culture centres on helping others and showing respect to everyone. The team values honesty, welcomes all backgrounds and keeps things friendly and open. Leaders are easy to reach, and staff are encouraged to support each other.
People are urged to care for their wellbeing and look out for others, with many benefits and flexible work options:
remuneration: competitive pay, salary packaging, novated leasing, gender pay gap statement
annual and bonus leave: 20 days annual leave, extra paid holidays, option to buy more leave
parental and carer’s leave: 20 weeks parental, 15 days carer’s, five days compassionate, five days Sorry Business
health and wellbeing leave: five days women’s+ health, 10 days early pregnancy loss, 20 weeks advanced pregnancy loss
public holiday flexibility: swap public holidays for another day
long service leave: available after seven years in VIC and NSW
study and extended leave: study leave, extended unpaid leave, purchased leave
family and gender support: family violence leave, gender affirmation leave
hybrid work: flexible work from home options for better balance
equality and growth: equal opportunities, five employee resource groups, support for professional development
Australian Financial Complaints Authority was named a 2024 AFR Boss Best Place to Work and is a certified Family Friendly Workplace. The team also supports five employee resource groups. Chief Ombudsman David Locke won CEO of the Year at the 2024 Australian LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards for leading the firm’s diversity, inclusion and belonging strategy.
David Locke is the chief ombudsman and CEO at Australian Financial Complaints Authority. He started in this role in 2018. Before that, he was assistant commissioner charity services at the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. Locke is a lawyer from the UK and has spent over ten years running community legal centres.
Australian Financial Complaints Authority’s leadership and executive team bring a wide range of skills and unique backgrounds to their roles:
Dr June Smith, deputy chief ombudsman, is a proud Kureinji and expert in Australian integrity frameworks
Brigid Parsonson is acting COO and leads strategic planning and finance at the Australian Taxation Office
Anna Campbell serves as general counsel and brings deep financial services knowledge. She was GM of enterprise compliance at ASX
Gerri Hill, is executive GM – operational delivery, who led ME Bank’s COVID-19 Customer Care program
Michael Ridgway, executive GM for compliance, risk and governance, has served the company and its predecessors since 2004
Erlene Graanoogst, is executive GM – operational excellence, who has led transformation projects in Amsterdam, New York and Sydney
AFCA is overseen by an independent board with equal consumer and industry representation. The board appoints the chief ombudsman, senior leaders and decision makers to ensure fair and expert complaint resolution.
AFCA supports the Scams Prevention Framework Bill 2025 and will lead scam-related dispute resolution. It works with banks, digital platforms and telcos to create fairer processes. This positions the firm to address new scam challenges as they emerge.
The Australian Financial Complaints Authority can now review the actions of receiving banks in scam complaints, not just the complainant’s bank. This expanded authority allows for deeper scam investigations and stronger prote
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