Making a claim under the CDDA Scheme

The CDDA Scheme provides a mechanism for Commonwealth agencies to compensate persons who have experienced detriment as a result of the agencies’ defective actions or inaction, when there is no legal requirement to make a payment.

On this page:

To apply for compensation for detriment caused by the federal Department of Education’s defective administration, you must complete the following form:

Application for Compensation for Detriment Caused by Defective Administration

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A form to assist you to make a claim for compensation for detriment directly caused by the federal Department of Education's defective administration.

View the Application for Compensation for Detriment Caused by Defective Administration publication details page
Application for Compensation Form - CDDA.pdf

Please attach all relevant documentation to support your claim, e.g. correspondence between yourself and the Department, relevant supporting evidence.

Please email your completed form to cddaclaimmailbox@education.gov.au.

Alternatively, you may send it by post to:

Department of Education
Attention: Legal
LOC:C50MA1
GPO Box 9880
CANBERRA ACT 2601 Australia

Important notes before you apply:

  1. We can only consider claims under the CDDA Scheme that relate to defective administration by the federal Department of Education. If your claim relates to the action of:
    1. Other Commonwealth agencies – these should be sent to the appropriate Commonwealth agency for their consideration;
    2. Other entities such as:
      1. Government schools and the conduct and actions of staff and the day-to-day management of a particular government school – we recommend you contact the education department of your State or Territory government to discuss your options;
      2. Non-government schools – we recommend you contact the school you want to make a complaint about. The federal Department of Education provides financial assistance to non-government schools but is not responsible for the conduct and day-to-day management of these schools;
      3. Higher education providers or child care providers – we recommend you contact the relevant provider directly to discuss your options.
  2. The CDDA Scheme is discretionary. This means there is no automatic entitlement to a payment regardless of your circumstances, even if a mistake was found to have been made.
  3. The CDDA Scheme is generally an avenue of last resort. If other viable avenues for redress exist, these must be explored first before you can apply for consideration under the CDDA Scheme.
  4. For further information about the CDDA Scheme (including what is ‘defective administration’ or ‘detriment’), please refer to the Department of Finance’s website.
  5. The department also has mechanisms in place for receiving feedback on our programs and services. For further information on how to make a complaint to the department or about one of the programs or services we deliver, please refer to our Complaints page.