Customer Feedback Information

Ipswich City Council (council) recognises that effective complaint management offers many practical benefits as all feedback provides information about program weaknesses, service delivery faults and the management and performance of council employees. Good administration practices involve the regular review of council’s services, programs, policies, procedures and the lessons learnt from complaints can feed into that process.

• Council will utilise complaint information to:
• Provide a suitable remedy to a complainant
• Develop and maintain good relations with our customers
• Evaluate and improve services, programs, policies and procedures
• Inform decision making about future service and program delivery
• Evaluate and improve the management of our employees and the programs, policies and procedures they work within

Council is committed to recognising the importance and value of listening and responding to complaints. If you have feedback, including a suggestion, problem, issue, concern or compliment about the services, decisions or actions of Ipswich City Council, we would like to hear about it.

Council will:

• Acknowledge the importance and value of customer feedback
• Provide an accessible avenue for people to submit feedback or raise concerns about matters relating to council
• Ensure all feedback is managed fairly, promptly, sensitively and efficiently

Your valued feedback contributes to our continuous improvement towards the delivery of customer service excellence. Please take the time to provide your feedback through the avenues outlined below.

Complaints Management Framework

Council has a complaints management framework to ensure we deal with all complaints in a fair and transparent manner. If you require further information about the complaint management process, download:

• Complaints Management Framework (PDF, 1.1 MB)
• Public Interest Disclosure Policy- (PDF, 950.2 KB)

What can feedback be about?

Feedback can be about:

• The services we provide
• Decisions or actions of Council
• Our practices and processes

What is a request for service?

Council provides a diverse number of services and programs to our customers and receives complaints on a daily basis. Customer complaints when they are first brought to the attention of council, in the majority of cases the complaint will be managed as a Request for Service, as the customer will be complaining about an issue such as:

• Footpath maintenance
• Missed waste bin
• A pot hole
• A barking dog
• Overgrown parks or allotments
• Road maintenance
• Or another issue requiring Council services

A request for service is where you want Council to take action that will be handled in accordance with internal procedures and processes by the relevant operational staff and, will be completed within agreed timeframes.

For a request for service, please phone Council on 07 3810 6666 alternatively you can lodge your service request here MyIpswich (registration or log-in required).

Who can provide feedback?

Anyone can provide feedback or make a complaint, whether it is in person, in writing, online or by phone.

Can I lodge a complaint on behalf of someone else?

Yes, however, if you lodge a complaint on behalf of an affected person, we will respond directly to the person affected, not to you as the person acting. If you provide a letter of authority confirming that you are acting on behalf of the affected person, we will respond to you instead.

How can I provide feedback?

You can lodge most maintenance reports, such as damaged footpaths and roads at MyIpswich. (Registration or log-in required).

For compliments, complaints, enquiries and suggestions:

• phone Council on 07 3810 6666 and ask to be put through to the complaints management unit (CMU)
• TTY Phone - 133 677 then ask for (07) 3810 6666
• Speak and Listen users phone 1300 555 727 then ask for 07 3810 6666
• Internet relay users connect to the NRS internet-relay.nrscall.gov.au then ask for
  07 3810 6666.
• If you are deaf, or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service www.relayservice.gov.au
• Visit a Customer Service Centre in person
• Write to Council online cmu@ipswich.qld.gov.au
• Via the online feedback form
• Postal service – PO Box 191 Ipswich QLD 4305

Complaints outside Council jurisdiction

Any complaints regarding the below issues are not dealt with by Council and should be referred to the relevant body for resolution:

• Light emissions from freeways and highways, including on-ramps and off-ramps should be referred to the Department of Transport and Main Roads
• Environmentally-relevant activities regulated by the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (e.g. chemical manufacturing)
• Environmentally-relevant activities regulated by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (e.g. poultry farming)
• State or local government premises or activities should be referred to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection
• Neighbourhood disputes should be referred to Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT)

What happens when Council receives my feedback?

Your feedback is important to council. It helps us to understand how we can improve our service delivery to better meet the needs of our customers. This information is used to review our processes and develop new initiatives to support business improvement.

Council directs your concern to the complaints management unit (CMU). A customer liaison officer (CLO) acknowledges your feedback, investigates the issue with the relevant business area and responds directly to you.

The CMU may contact you to discuss your concerns or to ask for further information.

• When a compliment is received, your feedback will be acknowledged by the CMU. The compliment is then processed by the CMU who forward this through to a business area delegate to inform the recipient/s.
• When a complaint is received, your feedback will be acknowledged by the CMU. A CLO will then look into the matter and communicate the findings of this enquiry. If your complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction you can lodge an Administrative Action Complaint or go straight to the Ombudsman’s Office and lodge a complaint.
• When an Administrative Action Complaint is received, your feedback will be acknowledged by the CMU. Another CLO will look into the matter with fresh eyes and communicate the findings of this enquiry with a Statement of Reasons response. If your complaint is still not resolved to your satisfaction, you can request an Internal Review by the Integrity and Complaints Manager or go straight to the Ombudsman’s Office and lodge a complaint.
• When an enquiry or suggestion is received, your feedback will be acknowledged and responded to by the CMU.

How long will it take to get a response to my feedback?

Council is committed to responding to your feedback and does its best to resolve your complaint within 10-45 days. This depends on the nature and complexity of your complaint.

Further action

If not satisfied with the outcome, you have the right to take your complaint to an external agency, such as the Queensland Ombudsman or Judicial Review.

In what instances will Council not respond to feedback?

Council reserves the right to not acknowledge or respond to:

• Feedback sent for the sole purpose of harassment
• Complainants who revisit the same issue without offering any new information for consideration.
• Anonymous feedback will be considered and recorded in our Feedback management system. However with no means of contacting the sender, an acknowledgement or response will not be provided.

What happens to my personal information when I provide feedback?

Council will not disclose your personal information to any other person or organisation unless one of the following reasons applies:

• You have given Council consent to do so
• Council is required by law or authorised to do so under a law
• There are grounds to believe disclosure will prevent a threat to life or health
• That person or organisation is providing a service to Council and is required to maintain the same or similar privacy legislation principles
• Council is of the opinion that it is unable to assist with your request and that another government agency or authority is more capable of assisting, or has the appropriate jurisdiction to assist with your request.

Council collects non personal information about you unless you voluntarily choose to participate in an activity through this website that involves the collection of personal information, such as sending electronic mail to this website, participating in a survey on this website, submitting a form on this website, undertaking a payment or other transaction through this website using our Online Self Service tools, or suggesting a link from this website to an external website. If you choose not to participate in these activities, your choice will in no way affect your ability to use this website.

You are able to access information held by council about you under the Right to Information Act 2009. If you have questions or concerns regarding council’s treatment of your information please contact the CMU on 07 3810 6666 or email cmu@ipswich.qld.gov.au Please note that some records (e.g. land records etc.) are open to public inspection under current legislation.

Are there any costs associated with lodging a complaint?

No, there is no fee or charge.

When is the Customer Feedback Information reviewed?

The Customer Feedback Information is reviewed on a regular basis, to guarantee its relevance and effectiveness to ensure customer feedback is correctly recorded, prioritised and responded to within agreed timeframes. A statement on Council’s Complaint Management is included in the Annual Reports as per legislation.

Our Internal Audit Branch will periodically audit the Customer Feedback Information, processes and procedures.