Important update on Interprac complaints at AFCA

We want to provide an important update for anyone who has made, or is thinking about making, a complaint about Interprac Financial Planning to the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).

What has happened?

Interprac has started court cases against AFCA. These court cases are about AFCA ‘lead determinations’ involving Interprac. For more information about lead determinations, see our FAQs.

Court cases like this can take time to resolve. While the court cases are underway, it is unclear how and when AFCA complaints about Interprac will be decided.

What does this mean for your complaint?

AFCA is continuing to accept and investigate complaints about Interprac.

However, AFCA has decided to pause complaints before they reach the final decision stage (called a Determination) while the court cases are ongoing. For more information about AFCA’s process, see Get a determination from AFCA.

This means:

• Your complaint is about Interprac is still active
• Investigation work will continue, up to the point of working our how much you have lost
• AFCA will not issue final decisions on Interprac complaints for now

AFCA says it will continue to review this position and may review it if circumstances change.

What stage is my complaint at?

Here’s what this means depending on where your complaint is up to:

• Registration and referral (early stage – not yet assigned to a case manager or just starting):
  Your complaint will still move through the process and be investigated.
• Case Management (case manager has been assigned):
  AFCA will continue working on your complaint, gathering information and assessing it.
• With a case worker and needing to calculate loss:
  Your complaint will be paused before moving to a final decision.
• Decision stage (waiting for Determination):
  Your complaint will be paused before a final decision is issued.
• Already heard by a panel / expecting a decision soon:
  AFCA will not issue a Determination at this time, even if your complaint has already been considered by a panel.

Do the Interprac cases affect the strength of my complaint?

No. This pause is not about the merits of your complaint. It does not mean your claim is weaker or stronger.

It is a procedural step because of the court cases.

What happens next?

If you have made a complaint, AFCA will keep working on it where possible and will contact you directly if anything changes. Once the court cases are finished and the situation is clearer, AFCA will contact you.

If you have not yet made a complaint, you should still make one, even though it may take longer to deal with.

Do I need to do anything?

No. You don’t need to take any action right now unless AFCA contacts you.