Your Say Brimbank
We are reviewing our Complaints Policy and we want to hear from you.
It explains how we handle complaints, and a customer’s right to make a complaint.
We want a positive culture around complaints. Reviewing our policy helps us:
The draft Complaints Policy has been based on the Victorian Ombudsman’s Guide Councils and Complaints: A Good Practice Guide 2nd Edition. The updated policy includes the following changes:
2.3 This policy excludes complaints governed by relevant legislation or acts subject to statutory review that are dealt with through separate mechanisms. The following list provides examples but is not exhaustive, and complaints falling under these must be handled according to their respective requirements:
2.4 This policy does not cover complaints against Councillors or the Chief Executive Officer.
2.5 This policy does not cover internal staff grievances, internal allegations of staff or contractor misconduct.
Are responsible for:
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A Councillor cannot direct or influence the complaint handling process and the complaint will be investigated as outlined in this policy.
This is the 4 tier approach to complaints handling. It outlines the steps we will take to respond to a complaint and options for escalation.
| Tier | Complaint type | Explanation | Actioning officer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Standard | Standard complaints relate to the quality, delay or failure to deliver a service. The actioning officer can provide quick and mutually acceptable solutions to address any grievances raised at the first point of contact. | Any customer facing officer can receive and resolve a complaint. |
| 2 | Complex | Complex complaints are grievances that cannot be resolved at the first point of contact and require investigation. A Council officer will conduct an investigation, gathering additional information to make an informed decision. You will be kept informed throughout the process, and we will provide you with a written explanation of the Council’s decision at the end of the investigation. | The Complaints Resolution Officer will work with relevant staff and Senior Council Officers to resolve the issue. |
| 3 | Escalated | If the customer is dissatisfied with Council’s response to their complex complaint, they will be offered the option to request an internal review, which is Tier 3 of our process. A senior officer will conduct an independent assessment to determine if the complaint should have been handled differently, and this could result in either upholding or overturning the original decision. | A senior officer who was not involved in the investigation or services at tier 1 or tier 2 of the complaints handling process. |
| 4 | External review | If the customer remains dissatisfied with Council’s decision, Council will guide the complainant on how to pursue an external review, which is Tier 4 of our process. At this stage, customers can refer complaints to independent oversight bodies such as the Ombudsman, Local Government Inspectorate, or a tribunal or court. Our Council actively participates and cooperates with the external review process during Tier 4. | A senior officer will provide guidance to the complainant on the process for engaging the appropriate external organisation. These may include but are not limited to: Victorian Ombudsman www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au Local Government Inspectorate www.lgi.vic.gov.au Office of the Victorian Information Commission www.ovic.vic.gov.au Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission www.ibac.vic.gov.au Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission www.humanrights.vic.gov.au Victorian Electoral Commission www.vec.vic.gov.au Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) www.vcat.vic.gov.au Fines Victoria www.online.fines.vic.gov.au |
Most complainants who lodge a complaint with Council act reasonably and responsibly in their interactions with us.
Unreasonable conduct is behaviour by a complainant which, because of its nature or frequency, raises substantial health, safety, resource, or equity issues.
Complainant’s behaviour will be inappropriate and unacceptable when they involve:
This can include excessive communication, seeking different answers from various officers, reframing old complaints, and refusing to accept investigation outcomes
This encompasses sending excessive information, providing minimal details, offering information incrementally, rejecting reasonable requests for information
This can entail verbal abuse, aggression, harassment, and making threats
We would like your feedback on how we can ensure the policy is culturally and community-appropriate.
