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Who do I complain to about a tradesperson in my state?

The short answer

Consumer affairs bodies handle contract and conduct complaints, licensing regulators handle unlicensed or defective licensed work, and tribunals decide claims. Which one you need depends on what went wrong.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 16 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

There are three kinds of body and people frequently approach the wrong one, then conclude nothing can be done. They do different jobs.

The three

  • Consumer affairs or fair trading bodies handle misleading conduct, contract problems and unfair terms, and offer free conciliation. They resolve disputes but generally cannot order payment.
  • Licensing regulators handle unlicensed work, defective work by a licensee and licence conditions. In several states they can direct a builder to rectify, which is a powerful and underused option.
  • Tribunals decide claims and make binding orders including for money. They are the last step, not the first.
WhereConsumer bodyTribunal
NSWNSW Fair TradingNCAT
VICConsumer Affairs VictoriaVCAT
QLDQueensland Fair Trading and QBCCQCAT
WAConsumer Protection WASAT
SAConsumer and Business ServicesSACAT
TASConsumer, Building and Occupational ServicesTASCAT
ACTAccess CanberraACAT
NTNT Consumer AffairsNTCAT

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. NSW Fair Trading · NSW Fair TradingChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Building and renovating · Consumer Affairs VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. Fair Trading · Queensland GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. Consumer Protection · Government of Western AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  5. Find a licence holder · Consumer and Business Services (SA)Checked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  6. Consumer, Building and Occupational Services · Consumer, Building and Occupational Services (Tas)Checked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  7. Choosing a tradesperson · Access CanberraChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  8. NT Consumer Affairs · Northern Territory GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  9. NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal · NSW Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  10. Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal · Victorian Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  11. Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal · Queensland Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  12. State Administrative Tribunal · State Administrative Tribunal of Western AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  13. South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal · South Australian Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  14. Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal · Tasmanian Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · live, but blocks automated clients so the specific page could not be confirmed
  15. ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal · ACT Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  16. Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal · Northern Territory Civil and Administrative TribunalChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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