Complaints to Council

Wyndham City recognises the importance of good complaints management as part of a quality customer service system. The reality is all organisations attract complaints about products, services or staff. Wyndham City is no different. As proud as we are of the service we provide, sometimes unfortunately, things go wrong.

What is a Complaint

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction with:

  • The quality of an action taken, decision made, or service provided by Council staff or contractor; or
  • A delay or failure in providing a service, taking an action, or making a decision by a Council staff or contractor; or
  • A policy or decision made by a Council or member of Council staff or contractor.

For some issues, complaints and appeals are governed by other processes outside the jurisdiction of Council.  Where this is the case, you will be referred to the appropriate process or authority. This includes decisions and processes relating to:  

  • Privacy and health records 
  • Freedom of Information 
  • Protected disclosures 
  • Decisions made under legislation which provides for separate avenues of appeal (e.g. decisions made under the Building Act, Planning Environment Act, Infringement Act and Valuation Land Act). 
  • Complaints against Councillors 

What is not considered a complaint?

  • A request for service &/or action by Council 
  • Reports of a hazard (e.g. fallen tree, pothole) 
  • Neighbourhood disputes, or reports concerning neighbours or neighbouring properties (e.g. dog barking or noise issues) 
  • A request for information or an explanation of a policy or procedure 
  • Insurance claims

 

Neighbourhood Disputes

Whilst anonymous complaints will be responded to, they may limit Council’s ability to fully investigate the problem depending on the amount of information supplied. 

If the complaint/request appears to relate to public safety then an investigation will be undertaken and rectification undertaken if found necessary. 

Due to the anonymity, Council will be unable to provide reasons for any decisions or actions taken. If insufficient information is deemed to have been supplied, no further action will be taken. 

Anonymous Complaints

Whilst anonymous complaints will be responded to, they may limit Council’s ability to fully investigate the problem depending on the amount of information supplied. 

If the complaint/request appears to relate to public safety then an investigation will be undertaken and rectification undertaken if found necessary. 

Due to the anonymity, Council will be unable to provide reasons for any decisions or actions taken. If insufficient information is deemed to have been supplied, no further action will be taken. 

Responsibilities

Council has a responsibility to:

  • Deal with complaints professionally, efficiently and impartially
  • Provide any information requested by the complainant which is relevant to their complaint
  • Provide information about the complaint process including any timelines for a final response
  • Document all complaints and identify what steps have been taken to redress the complaint and to minimise any chance of reoccurrence
  • Provide any assistance to the complainant necessary to enable the complaint to be dealt with in an effective manner
  • Ensure all staff understand the complaints process
  • Respond to all complaints, including verbal complaints where appropriate, in writing
  • Provide information to affected people as to their rights of appeal or review if they are not satisfied with the outcome of the general complaints process.

Complainants have a responsibility to:

  • To provide sufficient information / detail about the complaint to ensure the complaint can be investigated in full and in a timely fashion
  • Treat the Council staff with courtesy and respect
  • Not make trivial, frivolous or vexatious complaints
  • Listen to the response of the Council
  • Allow the Council sufficient time to resolve the complaint
  • Identify if their complaint has not been adequately resolved 

If a complainant does not meet their responsibilities, the Council may set limits or conditions on the handling of their complaint. Any abuse, harassment or threats to the safety or welfare of Council staff will result in the immediate cessation of the complaint investigation and contact with the complainant will cease.

Reporting a Complaint to Council

To register your complaint with Council, you can: 

  • Submit your complaint online
  • In Writing: Wyndham City Council, Attn: Customer Resolution Team, PO Box 197 Werribee 3030
  • Via email: Mail@Wyndham.vic.gov.au Attn: Customer Resolution Team
  • In person: Visit the Civic Centre or one of our Community Learning Centres
  • Phone: 1300 023 411
  • National Relay Service TTY 13 36 77
  • Speak and Listen: 1300 555 727

Interpreter services are available for non-English speaking customers by phoning the Translating & Interpreting Service on 13 14 50.

 

Complaint Process

Stage 1: Frontline resolution 

Wherever possible, frontline staff will try to resolve the complaint at the first point of contact. If this is not possible it will be investigated by the service area that provided you the service. 

Stage 2: Investigation 

If you are not satisfied after the responsible department has attempted to address your concerns, you have the right to request that the matter be referred to the next level people leader.  This may be a Team Leader, Area Leader, Coordinator, Manager or Director depending on the scope and severity of the complaint. The Council officer will conduct the investigation in a fair, objective and timely manner, keeping you informed throughout the process of the investigation. 

Stage 3: Internal Review 

If you feel your concerns have not been adequately addressed by the relevant department manager, you may request to have your complaint referred for a Stage 3 Review. You must state clearly on what grounds you believe the original decision requires a further review. A Stage 3 may not always be granted if there is no new evidence presented or you cannot demonstrate your complaint was inadequately addressed at Stage 2.

It is important to understand that all complaints will start at Stage 1 and requests directed straight to senior managers or the CEO will be passed back to the relevant department. 

If you believe there are still grounds for appeal you can contact the following agencies for assistance.

Review by External Agencies

If the complaint still remains unresolved after those prior levels of internal review, we may recommend to the complainant to seek assistance from other agencies such as: 

Examples of remedial action

Once a complaint is investigated and it has been determined that the organisation has made an error, it will undertake appropriate action to redress the situation.

All remedies need to be fair to the affected person and to Council. There will be occasions when an error is irreversible and the only practical remedy available is an apology and action taken to prevent similar errors in the future.

Responses deemed appropriate and reasonable to remedy errors and/or deficiencies in policies may include but not limited to:

  • An apology
  • An explanation (via department or media enquiry)
  • A change in decision
  • Repair or rework
  • A change to a policy or local law
  • Waiving of a fine
  • Correction of incorrect or misleading records

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