THE South Gippsland Shire copped 148 complaints last year, compared to just nine in Bass Coast.
But the Victorian Ombudsman fears some complaints aren’t being properly classified and thus, not followed up or recorded as official complaints.
The report by the Victorian Ombudsman (VO) on complaints to local councils found inconsistencies in the way complaints are handled, and even how different councils define a complaint.
The Ombudsman was concerned that many councils, including Bass Coast and South Gippsland Shire Councils, currently record complaints that are handled immediately by staff as ‘requests for service’ instead of as complaints, and do not report on or regularly review the outcome of their complaints.
Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass said the report aimed to “check whether councils were making it easy enough for people to complain, whether they were responding to complaints effectively, and learning from complaints for better response in the future”.
“We’ve found for years that one of the main causes for complaints against local councils is in fact the way those councils deal with complaints.
“Complaints that are poorly dealt with can make complainants even more unhappy, while they should be seen as free feedback – a great wat for councils to see how they can improve their service.”
Bass Coast Council have recently reviewed their complaints policy and say that it will be discussed at an upcoming council meeting.
Both councils told the Ombudsman that they aim to acknowledge all complaints within 10 business days and resolve complaints within 28 days from the day of receipt.
Ms Glass said she was pleased the Victorian Government had accepted her four recommendations, which include legislative changes requiring councils to broaden the definition of what is a complaint and to report on their complaint data publicly each year.
Shires not dealing with complaints correctly
John Trigt of Surf Beach and Peter McMahon of Cowes attended the Community Connections Session at Grantville last week, arguing ratepayers’ rights to freedom of opinion and freedom of expression were not being upheld “due to the way in which our mayor presides over Council’s question time”. Shire CEO Ali Wastie agreed to take on the suggestion to look at the Surf Coast Shire Council for an example of what could be done to change the local bylaw covering public question time to address concerns around the so-called “gagging” of residents’ and non-resident ratepayers’ questions. kg024219
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Yes, the original and long standing concept of government and public servants being accountable to constituents and the community (they are employed to serve) is next to non-existent.
Parliamentarians set the example, huh. The head of investigative organisations like the Ombudsman are not truly independent, nor are they active in holding to account a government or its employees in public sector (whether Federal, State or Local Govt bureaucracies). Don’t bite the hand that determines your performance pay, security of tenure or your organisations budget, hey!
Unfortunately it’s indicative of wide-spread ignorance, dumbing down and lack of appropriate ‘Administrative Law’ training, including the rules and process for Making and Recording an Administrative Decision.
I used to train staff across a wide band of administrative classification and functional work areas for weeks on end, months on end, over many years (in a large progressive and front-line Federal Govt Dept during the Hawke / Keating years). It was an accepted basic platform in public accountability – make sound decisions, applying the legal criteria for them, against all relevant facts (not opinion or personal preference or values) – and have it open to scrutiny and review (first internally and then externally as the client rights allowed).
Even trained FOI specialist staff, and other staff (top to bottom – although the top end liked the safety of being taught in their own little group, spared the scrutiny and potential embarrassment of their light grasp on the detail being exposed and known by the ‘workers’) in the FOI Act, Privacy Act and the practical application of them.
Boring subject matter in lots of ways, but necessary. In fact critical. Instead, now days, does anyone in a Call Centre, behind a Public Contact Counter, at a Reception point, or even the workplace /organisation designated FOI Officer themselves (who receive and co-ordinate FOI applications) have much idea about it? No, but it is amazing how many think they know all about it yet are laughingly light on – ignorance can be a blissful place!
CEOs, Ombudsman themselves, Executive staff, Politicians, Delegated Decision makers, Review Officers …. most on short term contracts with KPIs and performance pay bonuses that don’t respect or require Westminster Law and Administration principles being upheld to the highest standard – or the constant training of staff in them, along with monitoring and maintenance of the systems to keep them front and centre (whether intentional or not) has eroded and whitewashed this critical aspect of true ‘high standard sound effective Public Administration’.
Its laughable, but by budget cutting, process corner cutting, staff shedding and devaluing or ignoring the critical importance of scrutiny, justifying adverse decisions against the legal authority and requirements to be met for the decision (and action) – and dumbing down our public institutions overall – sees critical thinking, clear thinking, analytical thinking, objectivity, and vigorous internal and independent scrutiny … vanished.
So the article reports that Bass Coast Shire had 9 complaints in a year, lol. Only nine complaints – they’d see it and wear it as a badge of honour. in their mind proof they were doing a good job, conveniently not acknowledging the ‘success’ was based on a defective, dysfunctional, hurdle and barrier riddled ‘complaint process’ – and intention not to get them!!
Yes, not surprised. In the last 12 months I have witnessed first hand the lack of substance, intellectual rigor, transparency and accountability of that poor excuse for a high performing leading local government public administration.
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What can one expect when (on the whole) there is a very cosy “don’t rock the boat” cruisey lifestyle favouring malaise – perpetuating throughout the public sector in the Bass Coast Shire.
Not just the Shire Council.
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Ever seen the sign in the Wonthaggi Police Station entrance ‘waiting’ area that prominently makes the point ‘Due to ‘Budget Cuts’ we don’t photocopy documents for the public’ – wow, how obvious do they need to make it – just another thing local policing doesn’t do for the public.
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Then there’s our Courts, local Law Firms, local Media (including and especially this publication) and most of the public service workers (and comfy work place cultures frequented by salaried superannuation accruing conditions of their own service focused ‘govt workers’) preferring a semi retired work life balance – who actively pursue the preference towards a ‘life comfort balance’.
…. Ever rung and spoken to council staff who already have the computer turned off more than five minutes before knock off time “sorry can’t help you now. Ring back tomorrow”, or the out posted workers – customer service staff they are mistakenly titled – who roll the counter roller grill down and turn off the self opening doors at [deleted: name of site]; well before the official knock off time, probably because it’s been a quiet arvo and they aren’t prepared to eat into the 30 mins they’re allowed to drive through the scenic surrounds back to Wonthaggi to sign off at 5pm, for the sake of serving a ratepayer who might have the audacity to turn up at 4.26pm!
Reminds me of the Bank Staff who cheekily lock the door a bit early to get their end of day underway so they can head off as close to 5pm as they can.
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Now days those poor public servants with Federal, State and Local Government employment (are they still designated as Public Servants?) are just so stressed, and often severely hindered, compromised in their ability to deliver services because of COVID-19.
Hells bells, many are forced to work from home, and are now so restricted in their workplace by under performing or inadequate software, hardware, telecommunications, stationary supplies, access to colleagues for professional support and smooth prompt co-ordination of service delivery. They are also restricted in their access to extended family members, social and family pursuits are heavily curtailed, sporting and cultural interests in cotton wool, stuck at home and possibly juggling work around home schooling – it’s tough.
They might be fighting off potential depression, experiencing anxiety and possibly some feelings of grief and loss, missing the structure, certainty and perks of a workplace working in a team – don’t expect too much or be too hard on them. They’ll be doing the very best they can, under extremely challenging ‘unprecedented’ circumstances … and they’ll have even more of a zero tolerance to abuse (fair enough), be probably a bit more 0ver-sensitive than normal, but will there be anymore complaints? Of course not, “We don’t take complaints”. ‘We don’t listen to complaints”. “We don’t have the time to waste answering complaints, and we don’t have to explain or justify ourselves”.
I heard today that Bass Coast Shire is partnering to establish a Dinosaur Trail from San Remo to Wonthaggi, incorporating 7 ‘art work installations’ along the way. A tourism initiative, a source of community pride and recognition of the historical significance of the area (and I suspect the evolution from those pre-historic inhabitants).
Those pre-historic remnants embedded in coastal rock faces, pools, sands and soils 9are becoming exposed through continual exposure to the elements – secrets that have been buried since almost incalculable times, might just explain the modern Dinosaurs that have a foothold in the region!!
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Nine complaints received in a year by Bass Coast Shire … what a massive record of denial, arrogance, ignorance and ineptitude is that – Under performance and pre-historic beings thrive in this locality!
Thanks again bass coast for the joke of a road in hill st sunderland bay 3922
I can’t believe I am reading this story I have a formal complaint in at the Bass Coast Council and now I have a formal complaint in with the Ombudsman about this formal complaint. Both parties mentioned above have acted very unprofessional. With not wanting to address my concerns and to the point the Bass Coast CEO won’t address my formal complaint until the Ombudsman has made their decision on my formal complaint. The reviewer has now become the review. I now have a formal complaint in the Ombudsman about the Ombudsman. One very upset rate payer that has been treated appalling by both parties. I am trying now to talk to Deborah Glass from the Ombudsmen about my case. But the Ombudsman told me last week I had no chance talking to her.