Feedback and complaints
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If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or comments, feel free to share with us. Your input helps us improve and enhance our services to better meet your needs.
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Complaint Management Policy
We aim to provide high-quality services, but we understand that things don’t always go as expected.
This policy explains:
- how you can make a complaint
- how we handle complaints
- how we use complaints to improve our services.
We encourage you to speak up if you’re dissatisfied. We take complaints seriously, respond promptly, and use what we learn to improve.
This policy applies to complaints about:
- Council services
- Council staff or contractors
- decisions or actions made by Council.
It does not apply to complaints about individual councillors. These are addressed through the Councillor Code of Conduct.
What is not considered a complaint?
The following items (and more) can be reported via the My Council Portal:
- service requests (e.g. reporting a pothole, requesting maintenance, requesting street tree trimming or branches down after a storm, etc.)
- general feedback or suggestions
- complaints about a neighbour, or an event, service or business not handled by Council
- anonymous complaints without enough detail to investigate
- complaints, reports or allegations concerning abuse, harm, or neglect of a child, where the person is not associated with Council
- matters handled by other organisations or courts
- issues covered by legal or statutory processes (e.g. planning or infringements)
- fraud or corruption allegations (handled under a different policy)
- parking fine appeals (visit Fines page)
- enquiries relating to parking, transport, traffic and road safety matters.
What is a complaint?
A complaint to Council can be either verbal or written. A complaint is when you tell us you are unhappy with:
- the quality or timeliness of a service
- a decision, action, or policy we’ve made
- how you were treated
- the conduct of Council staff, representatives or contractors
- a failure to act or respond
- issues relating to legal obligations, including child safety, human rights, and aged care standards.
- Child-safety-related feedback can be submitted via our Child safety feedback, compliments and complaints form .
We welcome all complaints and recognise your right to raise concerns.
However, we may limit how we respond if behaviour involves:
- repeated or excessive contact
- unreasonable demands
- refusing to accept an outcome
- rude, abusive or threatening behaviour
- intolerance on the basis of race, religion or gender.
In these cases, we may:
- end phone calls or limit contact
- decline to respond to inappropriate communication
- restrict access to services, facilities or staff
- stop investigating matters already addressed
- refer the matter to another agency, such as Victoria Police.
These steps help us protect staff and use resources fairly.
How to submit your complaint
We encourage you to first speak directly with the staff member involved if you feel comfortable.
Any person, including a child or young person, can make a complaint. The online complaint form is the easiest way to lodge a complaint. It collects all the necessary information to resolve matters effectively.
You can also make a complaint via:
- Phone: (03) 9243 8888 (8.30am - 5pm, Monday to Friday)
- Email: council@mvcc.vic.gov.au
- Post: PO Box 126, Moonee Ponds VIC 3039
- In person: 9 Kellaway Avenue, Moonee Ponds (9am – 4pm, Monday to Friday)
- Through someone else: You can authorise a representative to submit on your behalf.
Children and young people can ask a trusted adult to help them make a complaint, or they can contact Council’s Senior Child Safe Advisor for support.
To help us resolve your complaint, include:
- Your name and contact details
- what happened and why you’re dissatisfied
- key dates, times or reference numbers
- any supporting documents
- the outcome you’re seeking
- whether you have any specific communication needs.
Support to help you make a complaint
We want our complaints process to be accessible to everyone.
Support is available for:
-
People who speak languages other than English
-
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members
Support is available to assist Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community
members to make a complaint. To access free, no obligation support, call
1800ADVOCATES (1800 238 622) or email gethelp@natsic.org
National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporation - Advocacy Service
-
People with disability or accessibility needs
People living with disabilities, mental illness, chronic illness or who are
neurodivergent, and their carers.
If you have a disability, you can also find someone to help you through the National Disability Advocacy Program (NDAP) .Tell us if you have any other needs that we can assist you with in lodging your
complaint, such as:- trouble reading or writing
- communicating with another person acting on your behalf if you cannot make the complaint yourself
-
Aged care clients
Advocacy support in aged care | My Aged Care
Call the Aged Care Advocacy Line. Their national team of advocates is available
Monday to Friday, 8am – 8pm, and Saturday, 10am – 4pm. Phone 1800 700 600.
Our complaints process
We use a four-tiered process to resolve complaints. We will acknowledge your complaint within two business days of receiving it, and let you know the expected timeframe to resolve the complaint based on our Customer Charter.
- We will acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days (except for Tier 4)
- We aim to resolve complaints as quickly as possible
- Timeframes vary depending on complexity
- We’ll update you if there are delays.
- We assess your complaint and try to resolve it quickly.
- We may take action, refer it internally, or explain if we can’t act.
Timeframe:
- Acknowledgement: Within 2 business days of receiving the complaint
- Delay: Customer advised of a new timeframe for resolution as soon as possible
For complaints expected to take longer than 90 business days, we will provide an update every 30 business days - Resolution: Will vary depending on what service(s) or resolution is required.
- A manager or specialist investigates your complaint.
- You’ll receive a written outcome.
Timeframe:
- Acknowledgement: Within 2 business days of receiving the complaint
- Delay: Customer advised of a new timeframe for resolution as soon as possible
For complaints expected to take longer than 90 business days, we will provide an update every 30 business days - Resolution: Will vary depending on what service(s) or resolution is required.
- If you’re not satisfied, you can request a review.
- This is handled by a different staff member for independence.
- We aim to respond within 30 business days.
Timeframe:
- Acknowledgement: Within 2 business days of receiving the complaint
- Delay: Customer is advised of a delay 3 business days before the intended resolution date and then updated every 30 business days
- Resolution: 30 business days.
- If still unresolved, you can contact an independent external body.
Timeframe:
- Acknowledgement: Dependent on the responsible external organisation
- Delay: Dependent on the responsible external organisation
- Resolution: Dependent on the responsible external organisation
We’ll keep you informed throughout the process, and at every stage you have an opportunity to seek a review of the decision.
Complaints about contractors
This policy applies to all contractors carrying out services or works on Council’s behalf. If your complaint relates to a contractor:
- It will be investigated by Council (not just the contractor).
- It is usually handled at Tier 2.
- You can still request a review if you’re not satisfied.
Mandatory reporting
Child safety
We take all concerns about child safety seriously and manage them under strict procedures.
Aged care and disability
We follow national standards and requirements for complaints related to these services.
External review bodies
We recommend completing our internal review process before seeking an external review.
If you’re not satisfied, you can contact the following organisations:
| Actions or decisions of a Council, Council employees and contractors. This includes failure to consider human rights or failure to act compatible with a human right under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 |
Victorian Ombudsman www.ombudsman.vic.gov.au |
| Breaches of the Local Government Act 2020 |
Local Government Inspectorate www.lgi.vic.gov.au |
| Breach of privacy Complaints about a freedom of information application |
Office of the Victorian Information Commission www.ovic.vic.gov.au |
| Corruption or public interest disclosure (Whistleblower) complaints | Independent Broad-based Anti-Corruption Commission www.ibac.vic.gov.au |
| Discrimination | Victorian Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission www.humanrights.vic.gov.au |
| Council elections | Victorian Electoral Commission www.vec.vic.gov.au |
Responsibilities
- Promote a positive approach to handling complaints.
- Support improvements based on customer feedback.
- Review and report on complaint trends.
- Support and train staff to handle complaints well.
- Ensure complaints are managed fairly and consistently.
- Identify improvements from feedback.
- Manage internal reviews when needed
- Support staff who deal with complaints.
- Understand the complaints process.
- Help customers make a complaint.
- Resolve complaints as quickly as possible.
- Treat members of the public respectfully and professionally.
- Understand the complaint process and policy.
- Referring complaints to Council staff.
- Understand and follow the complaint process and policy.
- Work with Council to resolve complaints.
Related legislation and reference sources
- Complaint Management Policy (PDF)
- Moonee Valley Customer Charter (PDF)
- Local Government Act 2020 (Vic)
- Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012 (Vic)
- Victorian Ombudsman's Framework 2020-2024
- Victorian Ombudsman 2021 - Councils and complaints: A good practice guide
- Commonwealth Ombudsman 2021 - Better practice complaint handling guide
- Victorian Ombudsman 2018 - Good practice guide to dealing with challenging behaviour
- Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic)