Our commitment to you

We understand that the Shire may not always meet your expectations, and we will always strive to improve the service and products provided.

If you have a suggestion which could improve our service delivery or if you feel you have received great service, then please let us know through our feedback form so we can improve our customer service or celebrate our achievements.

We regard a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction or concern about our action, or lack of action, the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf, the performance, behaviour and conduct of our employees, council or committee members or candidates, or our complaints handling process itself.

All feedback and complaints will be taken seriously, and we will do everything within our ability to resolve complaints.

Please note that the complaints' handling process is slightly different if the complaint is in relation to a Shire's employee/services, or a council member, committee member or election candidate. Both processes are detailed further below.

Who can provide feedback or lodge a complaint?

Any member of the public can provide feedback or make a complaint to us, including the representative of someone who is dissatisfied with our service.

I have lodged a complaint, what happens next?

If the complaint can be resolved immediately and we receive a clear indication that you are satisfied and do not wish to take the matter any further, the complaint will be closed.

If we can’t resolve your complaint immediately, we will:

• Acknowledge receipt of your complaint within three working days
• Where appropriate, discuss your complaint with you and keep you informed of progress along the way
• Aim to give a full response to your complaint in 20 working days or less.
• Treat your complaint confidentially and in accordance with our Charter. 

If our investigation of your complaint is likely to take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will agree on a revised timeline with you and keep you updated on progress.

What is not considered a complaint?

• a request for action, service or information (see Contact us page)
• a Freedom of Information application (FOI) (see FOI page) 
• lodging an appeal in accordance with procedures prescribed by legislation (See Further Information below).

Reporting allegations of minor or serious breach of the Code of Conduct for Council Members, Committee Members or Candidates is detailed further below.

What happens if I wish to lodge an anonymous complaint?

The Shire understands that there may be situations that you do not feel comfortable with and do not wish to provide personal information. We encourage you to provide us with contact details to enable the Shire to respond. If you wish to remain anonymous, please understand that feedback cannot be provided to you, and this will limit our ability to successfully resolve your complaint.

Equal opportunity 

Shire of Mundaring is committed to ensuring that no one is discriminated against on grounds of age, disability, gender, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or for any other reason. If you think you have been treated less favourably, please make this clear in your complaint.

Customer complaint 

What can I complain about?

You can complain about things such as 

• Delays in responding to your inquiries or requests
• Our failure to provide a service or information
• Our standard of service
• Competence or conduct of our employees
• Errors of judgement or misinterpretation of information
• Decisions considered unfair, unreasonable, or lacking in merit
• Our failure to follow the proper procedure
• Poor administrative processes etc.

Your complaint may involve more than one Shire service or be about someone working on our behalf.

To lodge a customer complaint please complete this form.

Related information

Further information is available on our Governance and Transparency page where you can access our government framework, freedom of information process, public interest disclosure and a range of governance registers. For more information view our Complaints Management Policy. 

Breach of the Code of Conduct for Council Members, Committee Members and Candidates

All council members, committee members and election candidates are required to abide by the Rules of Behaviour (Division 3) and Rules of Conduct (Division 4) outlined in our Code of Conduct for Council Members, Committee Members and Candidates  Policy 1.1.The policy details the standards of ethical and professional behaviour expected of Shire of Mundaring council members, committee members and election candidates.

• Division 3 complaint: If the suspected breach is of a Rule of Behaviour, this is dealt with by us. Please read our Code of Conduct Behaviour Complaints Policy and flowchart detailing the process and then complete a Behaviour Complaint Form to initiate this process. Behaviour complaints must be lodged within one month of the suspected breach and a detailed timeline is included in the Code of Conduct Behaviour Complaints Policy.
• Division 4 complaint: If the suspected breach is of a Rule of Conduct, this is considered to be a ‘minor breach’ and is dealt with by the Local Government Standards Panel, although we will be the ones to receive the complaint in the first place. Please see the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries website for more information, and to access the Making a Complaint of a Minor Breach page and appropriate form. The completed form is then sent to the Shire of Mundaring CEO as the Complaints Officer and must be lodged within 6 months of the suspected breach. A register of Complaints of Minor breaches is available on our Governance Registers page. 

The Shire aims to respond to all complaints promptly, and to handle them objectively, fairly and confidentially. Our role in the complaint process is not to advocate for any particular party, but to provide information and assistance to both parties as part of the complaint resolution process.

Breach of the Local Government Act 1995

If you have grounds for believing a council member, committee member or candidate has breached a specific provision of the Local Government Act 1995 (commonly called a "Serious Breach"), you can make a complaint to the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries.

For more information on this process, including a list of actions which are considered to be "serious breach", as well as how to make a report, please access the Make a serious breach complaint page on the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries website.

External reporting

We have zero tolerance for fraudulent or corrupt conduct by council members, employees, volunteers, contractors or suppliers and support the reporting of suspected wrongdoing.

The Public Sector Commission and Corruption and Crime Commission have the necessary powers and authority to investigate and make properly informed and considered findings about alleged or suspected misconduct by individual council members or employees of a local government, and to do so in accordance with the rules of natural justice.

You can report any suspicions, concerns or allegations directly to the relevant authority.

• Minor misconduct by a public officer may be reported to the Public Sector Commission. Further information on reporting allegations of misconduct can be found on the Public Sector Commission website.
• Serious misconduct by a public officer may be reported to the Corruption and Crime Commission. Further information on reporting allegations can be found on the Corruption and Crime Commission website.

Related information and policy

• Fraud and Corruption Control Policy
• Related Party Disclosure Policy
• Public Interest Disclosure