Our investigation guidelines are written in plain English and set out in an easy-to-follow format so that our investigation processes are accessible to everyone.

Whether you are a consumer who has made a complaint, a business being investigated, someone helping us with an investigation, or a lawyer representing a business, these guidelines will give you detailed information about our processes and what you can expect.

The guidelines cover a wide range of topics, such as:

  • who we are and how we make decisions
  • how we go about getting evidence and information
  • what compulsory powers we have and how we decide to use them
  • whether and when we will issue media statements or provide public information about an investigation.

A set of five investigation principles that guide how we investigate are outlined in the guidelines. These principles deal with matters like fairness, timeliness, openness and accountability, outlining the standards that we strive to reach in our investigations.