ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE · Report

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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING                                           10 MARCH 2026


That Council note the report by the Governance Manager to the Services & Organisation Committee
dated 10 March 2026 and:
A. Repeal the existing Administrative Action Complaints Process Council Policy, adopted by
   Council on 21 June 2018;
B. Adopt the updated Administrative Action Complaints Management Council Policy, provided as
   Attachment 1 to the Council Report;
C. Adopt the Administrative Action Complaints Management Process Council Procedure, provided
   as Attachment 2 to the Council Report; and,
D. Authorise the Chief Executive Officer to make any minor amendments, if required, prior to
   publication.


REPORT
1. Statutory Requirements

Pursuant to section 268 of the Queensland Local Government Act 2009, a Council must adopt a
process for resolving administrative action complaints.

Additionally, section 306 of the Queensland Local Government Regulation 2012 (“LG Reg”), states
that a local government must adopt a complaints management process that effectively manages
complaints from their receipt to their resolution; and written policies and procedures supporting the
complaints management process.

In summary, section 306 of the LG Reg outlines that a Council’s complaints management process
for administrative actions should:
   a. cover all administrative action complaints made to the local government,
   b. respond quickly and efficiently in a fair and objective way,
   c. include criteria to assess whether to investigate a complaint, and
   d. inform the complainant of the local government’s outcome and the reasons for the decision,
      unless the complaint was made anonymously.
Finally, Council’s ongoing statutory obligations include:
   a. keeping accurate records of all administrative action complaints (AACs),
   b. ensuring the public can access the associated Policy and Procedure, and
   c. monitoring complaint trends and evaluating the effectiveness of the process.

2. Background

The Governance Branch regularly reviews Council’s governance-related policies and frameworks to
identify opportunities for improvement, ensure legislative compliance, and confirm they remain fit for
purpose and aligned with best practice. Recently, focus has been directed to reviewing Council’s
Administrative Action Complaint Policy framework to further strengthen Council’s governance
arrangements and support delivery of the Corporate Plan 2023–2028, Objective 5.5.

A comprehensive review of Council’s complaints management framework commenced in 2022;
however, progress was affected by resourcing constraints, competing organisational priorities, and
the development and implementation of a new AAC system solution. The review has now been
completed following extensive consultation, trials, feedback, and expert advice from both internal
and external stakeholders.

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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING                                        10 MARCH 2026


3. Review

The current AAC Policy and Procedure, which was adopted and endorsed by Council and the former
Chief Executive Officer in 2018, has been comprehensively reviewed to improve clarity,
transparency, standardisation and guidance for staff and the community.

Key amendments to the Policy include:
   •   New sections to align with Council’s Organisational Policy Framework, include:
       o    Policy Statement which outlines Council’s core values and commitment to fair and
            effective complaints handling,
       o    Purpose which describes why the Policy exists and what it aims to achieve,
       o    Review which sets Council’s formal review cycle schedule, and
        o Definitions which provide clear explanations of key terms used in the Policy.
   •   New section outlining Council’s complaint management principles to strengthen
       governance alignment with the Australian Standard, AS/NZS 10002:2022 Guidelines for
       complaint management in organisations.
   •   Greater clarity on how to submit an AAC by explaining to complainants available methods for
       lodging complaints and guidance on anonymous complaints, third-party submissions and
       support for complainants.
   •   New section outlining the rights of complainants and what complainants can expect. This
       section was previously incorporated within Roles and Responsibilities and has now been
       extracted into a dedicated section to improve visibility and clarity.
   •   Updates to the below sections in order to provide clarity and alignment with the proposed
       Procedures and Organisational Policy Framework:
       o    Expectations of Complainants
       o    Roles and Responsibilities
       o    Relevant Legislation
       o    Associated Documents.
Operational matters, such as scope definition, reporting processes, and the distinction between
service requests and Administrative Action Complaints, have been relocated to the supporting
Procedure.

Subsequently, key amendments to the Procedure include:
   •   New sections to align with Council’s Organisational Policy Framework and provide overall
       clarity and policy development standardisation, include:
       o    Procedure Statement
       o    Purpose
       o    Scope, and
        o Review schedule.
   •   New and updated process steps (Steps 1 to 5) to expand, clarify and align with industry best
       practice and current organisational practice.
   •   New sections to provide clarity and alignment with the Organisational Policy Framework:
       o    Roles and Responsibilities
       o    Relevant Legislation
       o    Associated Documents, and

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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING                                         10 MARCH 2026


        o   Human Rights Statement.
Overall, the above changes have been proposed as a result of extensive research, testing,
consultation, expert advice and feedback to ensure the policy approach is practical, transparent and
supports a consistent, fair and transparent approach to complaint management.

4. Implementation

Following Council’s adoption of the new AAC Policy and Procedure, provided in Attachments 1 and
2, the Governance Branch will implement the changes through the provision of advice and training
to relevant teams, and by continuing to manage and monitor Council’s AAC complaints management
portfolio.

In accordance with statutory obligations, the updated Policy and Procedure will be published on
Council’s website.


Link to Corporate Plan
Theme No. 5 - Excellence
This theme focuses on customer experience, financial sustainability, innovation and technology,
levels of service, governance, our employees and volunteers, funding streams and asset
management practices.




Previous Council Consideration
Nil.


Finance
Nil.


Risk & Opportunities
By adopting an improved Policy and Procedure for Council and the community, Council will be
reducing the risk of non-compliance with legislation which may result in reputational damage and
breaches for Council. Furthermore, the updated Policy and Procedure provides an opportunity for
greater transparency and accountability for Council while building ongoing trust with our community
through good governance practices.


Human Rights
Human Rights Compatibility Statement
In developing this Report, the subject matter has been considered in accordance with the
requirements of the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019. It is considered that the subject matter
does not conflict with any human rights and supports a human rights approach to decision making
by Council. Council representatives will endeavour to act and make decisions under this report in a
manner that is compatible with human rights. This report should be read in conjunction with
Council’s Human Rights Policy.


Consultation
External Consultation - Community & Stakeholder

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SERVICES & ORGANISATION COMMITTEE MEETING                                                  10 MARCH 2026


•       Queensland Ombudsman
•       Local government sector
Internal Consultation
Extensive consultation with Departments has occurred for testing, trial and ongoing feedback.

Departments consulted:
        Office of the CEO, Mayor &             Community Services              Corporate Services
                Councillors
    X    Mayor & Councillors             X   Director                    X   Director
    X    Chief Executive Officer             Community Connection            Financial Services
         Executive Officers                  Sport & Active Lifestyles       Revenue Services
         Community Engagement                Arts & Culture                  ICT
         Governance                          Customer Experience             Procurement

                                                                             People & Culture
         Strategy & Environment              Development & Regulation        Infrastructure Services
    X    Director                        X   Director                    X   Director
         Strategy & Sustainability           Development Assessment          Civil and Asset operations
         Economic Development        &                                       Infrastructure Planning, Design
                                             Local Laws
         Destination Management                                              and Delivery
         Environmental Services              Environmental Health            Waste
         Innovation & Digital Hub            Building & Plumbing             Building & Facilities
         Commercial Property                 Property / Permits              Disaster Management

                                                                             Fleet