Complaints can be a positive management tool, providing very good feedback about areas in need of improvement within an organisation, according to Charles Sturt University (CSU) Ombudsman Miriam Dayhew. The CSU Ombudsman will deliver a public lecture on complaints management on Wednesday 31 October in Tumut to discuss the current complaints system used by the University, with examples of how it has been used as a positive management tool. Ms Dayhew says staff, students and others have a right to voice critical comments and it is essential to have an effective complaints system in place to deal with issues as they arise. “By dealing with complaints at the outset, an organisation is more able to resolve them, thereby preventing them from escalating, costing time and resources, and can use the experience to identify faults and improve processes,” said Ms Dayhew. Ms Dayhew is responsible for developing and maintaining CSU’s complaint management systems.