ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE · Report

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.