Complaints
A Complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction made to or about Council, including its services and staff. Under the Complaint Handling Policy, we will receive and treat the following as Complaints:
- Failure to achieve specified standards of service by Council or staff;
- Delay in responding;
- A Council process or procedure; and/or
- Withdrawal of reduction of services.
What IS a complaint?
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Examples
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| Failure to achieve specified standards of service |
You are dissatisfied with the service provided by Council or a Council staff member.
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Delay in responding
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You have not received a response to your matter within the timeframe advised by Council and have not received any communication about the delay.
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A Council decision or policy
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You are unhappy with a service provided and believe proper process
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Withdrawal of reduction of services
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A Council program that has been running for years has been cancelled with no replacement services provided.
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What is NOT a complaint?
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Examples
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Service Requests, including:
- requests for approval, action, or provision of works
- routine enquiries about Council business or operations
- reports of non-compliance
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- reporting a pothole
- noise, barking dogs, unauthorised building works
You can lodge a service request here.
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Reports of hazards or faulty or damaged infrastructure
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You can lodge a service request here.
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Public submissions, petitions, or objections to development applications
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- Have your say on Council’s Traffic and Transport Strategy
You can check for documents on exhibition here.
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Requests for information or clarification of a Council policy or procedure
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- Questions about how Council will implement the … Policy
You can contact Council for more information.
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Complaints about matters that are outside of Council’s jurisdiction
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- Taxation, state government infrastructure
You may wish to contact your local MP/representative.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I make a complaint?
If you are making a complaint you will:
- receive an acknowledgement letter within five working days of making the complaint, outlining our complaint handling process
- be listened to, treated with respect by staff and actively involved in the complaint process where possible and appropriate
- receive an outcome letter within 20 working days of making the complaint. Where the nature of the complaint involves significant investigation or resources, we will communicate with you and provide an amended timeframe for outcome
- be provided with reason/s for our decisions and any options for remedy or review.
How do I make a complaint?
You can make a complaint by completing our form. Alternatively you can write to us or email us as per the details below, or you can lodge a complaint in person.
- By mail: PO Box 152 or 62-78 Vincent St, Cessnock NSW 2325 Australia
- By email:
- In person: at Administration Building, 62-78 Vincent St, Cessnock NSW 2325 Australia
Council does not accept verbal Complaints or complaints made on Council's Social Media channels.
Please note that if you attend in person, you will still be required to complete the form. If you require assistance submitting your complaint, please contact Council directly.
What if I am unhappy with the outcome of my complaint?
Although we do our best to effectively handle all complaints made to or about us, there are options available for review both internally and externally to Council.
To ask for a review of the outcome of your complaint, please complete this form. Requests for internal review are handled by Council's Public Officer or their delegate, will be acknowledged within five working days with an outcome letter to be provided within 20 working days from receipt of the complaint.
The purpose of an internal review is not to determine a different response, but to check that all involved in determining the original decision have taken all the required steps when assessing and addressing the complaint.
The external bodies you can contact regarding your complaint are:
Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC)
Unreasonable Conduct by a Customer
In certain circumstances, customers may not be happy with the response they receive from Council about a service or a complaint. This could lead to a customer’s conduct being unreasonable.
Council is guided by the NSW Ombudsman in how we manage unreasonable conduct by customers. You can go to their website for more information: Managinghttps://www.ombo.nsw.gov.au/guidance-for-agencies/managing-unreasonable-conduct-by-a-complainant unreasonable conduct by a complainant - NSW Ombudsman.
See below for examples about what unreasonable conduct is
What is unreasonable conduct?
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Examples
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Unreasonable persistence
This means continued conduct by a customer that has an unreasonable impact on Council.
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- Requesting repeated reviews or follow ups on matters that have been comprehensively addressed
- Contacting different Council staff members in an effort to get a different answer (this is known as forum shopping)
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Unreasonable demands
This means demands that have an unreasonable impact on Council.
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- Issuing instructions/demands to Council staff on how to handle their request, and what the outcome should be
- Insisting on talking to the General Manager, Mayor or senior staff when it is not appropriate or necessary
- Emotional blackmail or manipulation
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Unreasonable lack of cooperation
This means an unwillingness or inability to cooperate with Council.
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- Providing little or no detail when requested
- Refusing to follow or accept Council’s instructions
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Unreasonable arguments
This means arguments that are not based on logic, or are incomprehensible, false or trivial in nature.
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- A customer’s argument fails to follow a logical sequence and isn’t explained to Council staff clearly
- Not based on evidence or is based on conspiracy theories
- Trivial arguments compared to the amount of time and resources involved
- Argument is false, inflammatory or defamatory
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Unreasonable behaviours
This means behaviour that unreasonable compromises the health, safety and security of Council staff.
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- Acts of aggression, verbal abuse, derogatory remarks
- Harassment, intimidation or physical violence
- Threats
- Stalking
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Please refer to Council’s Unreasonable Customer Conduct Policy and Unreasonable Customer Conduct Guideline for more information.