Complaints Management

How to make a complaint

The normal avenue for most complaints is through Customer Service. This is where you make a complaint, inquire about Council services, or ask questions about service delivery on a day-to-day basis; such as, rubbish collection or problems with a neighbour's fence.

Customer Service 9942 2111

A customer service officer will log your call and pass it to the relevant department in Council, where it will be dealt with.

You can also write a letter to Council if you prefer; for example, if you have documents you want to send in that help explain your problem. Alternatively, you may wish to come in to the Customer Service front counter in the Council Civic Centre.

Formal Complaints to the Office of the Internal Ombudsman

If you think your complaint concerns a serious issue, for example, corruption, misconduct, maladministration, or otherwise unlawful behaviour by Council administration or Council officers, you may choose to make a formal complaint to the Office of the Internal Ombudsman.

You are, however, encouraged to first use all other avenues in Council to resolve your problem before making a formal complaint. This is particularly relevant to inquiries about, or problems with, service delivery or service requests - a quick call to Customer Service will often sort things out, provide you with the information you need, and answer your questions.

What is a formal complaint?

A formal complaint is an allegation of corruption, misconduct, maladministration or otherwise unlawful behaviour by Council administration or Council officers.

The Office of the Internal Ombudsman will not handle concerns about service delivery by Council or day-to-day issues such as reporting potholes, barking dogs, garbage collections or parking problems. For these concerns please contact Council's Customer Service.

Before lodging a formal complaint with the Office of the Internal Ombudsman, it is useful to ask yourself the following questions:  What has Council done wrong in this situation?  Has Council breached some law or policy which they have a duty to uphold? Has Council treated me unfairly?  Has a Council officer done something that is against the law or Council’s Code of Conduct?

Examples

A resident is unhappy with a Development Application approval. This is not a formal complaint unless:

• 1. The resident believes a Council officer has been improperly influenced to grant approval
  2. The correct process was not followed

• A resident is unhappy that a pothole has not been fixed quickly enough by Council. This is not a formal complaint and should be dealt with as a request for Council service. See Contact Us

• A resident believes an infringement notice has been issued because of a personal grudge. This constitutes a formal complaint and should be lodged with the Office of the Internal Ombudsman.

You are encouraged to lodge complaints in writing; however, formal complaints can be made by phone, letter, email or personal visit.

Council's Office of the Internal Ombudsman has a dedicated Formal Complaints Hotline number which operates from 8.30am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Formal complaints Hotline: 9942 2105

Please leave a voicemail message if the hotline is unattended. The Complaints Registration Officer will return your call as soon as possible.

When lodging a formal complaint, please be ready to provide as much detail as possible and to focus on the issues of concern.

What happens to your formal complaint?

Within three working days of receiving a formal complaint an acknowledgement  the Internal Ombudsman will send a letter to the complainant. Complainants will be informed of the progress of their complaint within 14 working days of acknowledgement. Further feedback will be provided until the matter is finalised.

The Office of the Internal Ombudsman is committed to ongoing consultation with complainants; however, some matters can take several months to investigate.

If preliminary inquiries reveal evidence that may support the complaint, it may then progress to a formal inquiry by the Internal Ombudsman.  This could include a review of the related file or policies and procedures; interview of relevant witnesses; site visits; facilitated meetings between staff and complainant; and, a report to the General Manager with outcomes and recommendations. This is a lengthy and often complex process.

Privacy

Complainants' details will not be disclosed without their consent - this includes not giving details to any Council officer involved in a complaint.  The Office of the Internal Ombudsman is located in a secure, discreet area, where complainants can provide information confidentially, and all information is secure.

Further Information

Office of Internal Ombudsman Brochure