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Simulated workplace
Scenario · Community Engagement and Client Services Branch

Acknowledge and resolve a complaint about a grant delay

You are a Client Services Officer at the Melbourne front counter.

Entry2 to 3 hours7 tasks
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The situation

What has happened

A member of the public from Ballarat has complained that the Neighbourhood Facilities Fund decision on the Shepparton Riverside Scouts Hall roof is overdue and that nobody has returned their calls. The complaint is registered as CP-26-0119 in the correspondence tracker and must be acknowledged within three business days. The grants register shows the application NFF-26-0031 is under assessment with a moderation panel scheduled because the assessors' scores differ. The complainant is a hall committee volunteer, is frustrated, and earlier in the week a different declined applicant behaved aggressively at the Ballarat counter. Jasmine Whitlock wants the complaint handled under the procedure with every step recorded.

Your brief. Acknowledge the complaint in writing, establish the facts from the grants register and the program team, draft a plain language response that explains the status and the next steps, offer the external review avenue, and record every step in the correspondence tracker while protecting the complainant's information.
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Tasks

Deliverables

  • Acknowledgement letter
  • Draft response to the complainant
  • Tracker entry CP-26-0119 with all steps recorded
  • Note on privacy and unreasonable conduct handling

Documents to use

Systems to use

Ministerial and Correspondence Tracker

Registers ministerial briefs, correspondence, complaints, freedom of information requests and public enquiries with due dates, owners and clearance status.

Grants Register

Records every grant application from receipt through assessment, decision, funding agreement, payment and acquittal across the four programs.

For trainers and assessors

Units of competency

Current on training.gov.au for the Public Sector Training Package as at 10 September 2026.

PSPGEN088Deliver a service to clients
PSPGEN096Use workplace communication strategies
PSPGEN144Work in a public sector environment
PSPGEN098Deal with conflict
PSPETH006Uphold the values and principles of public service

Qualifications

PSP30122Certificate III in Government
PSP20122Certificate II in Government
Assessor notes

What to look for

Evidence guide

Look for an acknowledgement inside three business days, a response that is accurate about the moderation delay without disclosing other applicants' information, an apology where the department fell short, and the Ombudsman review avenue. Tracker entries should show the sequence. The unreasonable conduct answer should show the student can stay courteous, set limits and refer to the manager.

The student's evidence summary lists every record they created or changed in the systems named above, their notes and the tasks they ticked. Verify it against the deliverables and your own assessment tool.