ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION COMPLAINTS MANAGEMENT POLICY AND PROCEDURE · Report

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