Respectful communication with us
How we work together
We know that reaching out to the Office of the Victims’ Commissioner (OVC) often happens during an incredibly difficult or painful time.
You may be feeling distressed, overwhelmed, angry, or exhausted — and that is completely understandable.
Our goal is to support you with compassion, dignity and respect, and to create an environment where you feel safe to share your experiences.
To do this, we also need to make sure our staff are safe and protected while they help you.
On this page, we explain how we support respectful communication, and what we do if interactions become unsafe for you or for our team.
Our commitment to you
When you contact us, we will:
- listen with patience, empathy and respect
- acknowledge the impact your experience may have had on your life
- communicate in a clear and trauma‑informed way
- respect your human rights and the Charter of Victims’ Rights
- explain what we can and cannot do
- handle your complaint or enquiry as promptly as possible.
What we ask from you
To make sure we can assist you safely and effectively, we ask that you:
- speak to our staff in a respectful way
- understand that some things may be outside our powers
- interact with us in a way that is safe for everyone.
You do not need to be calm or “have everything together” — we understand that your situation may be stressful.
We simply ask that communication remains safe for you and for us.
When communication becomes unsafe
Sometimes strong emotions can lead to behaviours that make it difficult for us to continue supporting you.
These behaviours may include:
Aggressive or abusive behaviour
- shouting, swearing, or insulting staff
- threatening language or actions
- discriminatory comments
- physical intimidation.
Excessive contact
- calling or emailing repeatedly over a short period
- contacting multiple staff members about the same issue
- demanding immediate or unrealistic outcomes.
Continuing a complaint after it has been finalised
- revisiting the same issue without new information
- asking for the same decision to be repeatedly reconsidered
- refusing to accept an outcome unless it is the one you want.
Requests that are outside what we are able to do
- asking for actions beyond our role or legal powers
- insisting on meeting with particular staff when it is not appropriate.
We understand that trauma can affect the way people communicate.
However, we also need to ensure that interactions remain safe for everyone involved.
How we support safer communication
When communication becomes unsafe or overwhelming, we take a stepped approach aimed at preserving your ability to engage with us whenever possible.
First steps
We may:
- let you know when certain behaviour is becoming difficult or unsafe and ask you to stop the behaviour
- take a pause and reconnect with you later
- move communication to a different format
- remind you that we will not respond to emails directed to other agencies where we are copied (cc’ed) or blind copied (bcc’ed) into the email
- ask you to summarise your concerns so we can respond clearly and fairly.
These tools help us support you better.
Formal steps
If unsafe behaviour continues, we may need to put some limits in place to protect both you and our staff.
These may include:
- communicating with you in writing only
- asking you to use a representative (such as a lawyer or support person)
- checking your emails at set intervals
- not responding to repeated messages about issues we have already resolved
- in very serious situations, stopping contact for a period of time.
If we need to introduce any of these measures, we will:
- explain what is changing
- tell you why
- give you an opportunity to respond
- consider your personal circumstances
- consider your rights under the Human Rights Act 2019
- review the plan regularly.
You can also ask for the decision to be reviewed.
We are here to support you
Our aim is always to maintain communication, not restrict it.
We take these steps only when necessary to keep everyone safe and able to participate in the process.
If you ever feel unsure about why a limit has been put in place, or want help understanding the process, please reach out — we will do our best to support you.
Need help or have questions?
You can contact us at: contact@victimscommissioner.qld.gov.au
We are here to help, and we appreciate your cooperation as we work together in a safe and respectful way.