City of South Perth - Complaints

Complaints

Reporting formal complaints to Council.

Last updated on: 12 October 2023

In this article

What is a complaint?
What is not a complaint?
Operations and service
Complaint about an employee
Complaint about an Elected Member
Anonymous complaints
Raise a Request

What is a complaint?

A complaint is:

"an expression of dissatisfaction made to or about an organisation, related to its products, services, staff or the handling of a complaint, where a response or resolution is explicitly or implicitly expected or legally required."

If your issue is not a formal complaint, please refer to the Make a Request page for other options.

What is not a complaint?

A complaint is not:

the initial request for a service to be delivered
a request for documents, information or explanation of policies or procedures
compliance enforcement action
the lodging of an appeal or objection in accordance with a statutory process, standard procedure or policy
a petition or
a civil dispute between private individuals.

Operations and service

Complaints about the City's operations and service/s can include:

complaints about service
complaints about process
complaints about fees or
all other formal complaints.

Complaint about an employee

The City will investigate formal complaints about employees
Please provide the name of the employee to assist with the investigation
Complaints are confidential and the complainant will not be advised of the outcome, unless required by law.

Complaint about an Elected Member

The City will investigate formal complaints about Elected Members.
Please provide the name of the Elected Member to assist with the investigation.

Elected Member complaint requirements

Depending on the nature of the complaint, the following reporting requirements apply:

Suspected criminal activity - please report directly to WA Police.
Suspected serious misconduct (Corruption Crime and Misconduct Act 2003) - please report directly to WA Corruption and Crime Commission.
Suspected serious breaches (Local Government Act 1995) - please report directly to WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.
Suspected minor breaches (Local Government Act 1995):
complaints must be made within six months after the alleged breach has occurred.
visit the minor breach system page on the Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries website, for access to the Minor Breach Form and an explanation of the process.
parts 1 and 1A of the Minor Breach Form are to be completed by the person making the complaint.
Breaches of the City's Councillor Code of Conduct:
complaints can only be made against Division 3 of the Councillor Code of Conduct.
complaints must be submitted within one month after the occurrence of the alleged breach.
complaints about an alleged breach by a candidate cannot be dealt with unless the candidate has been elected.
submit your complaint to the Complaints Officer (Elected Members) using the option below with the Complaint About Alleged Breach Form attached, along with any supporting documentation.
the City takes all reasonable steps to maintain confidentiality when dealing with a complaint, in order to protect both the Complainant (person making the complaint) and Respondent (person the complaint is about). The Complainant should also take all reasonable steps to maintain confidentiality of the complaint.

Anonymous complaints

The City accepts anonymous complaints however the complaint may not be able to be investigated if there is insufficient information. When making a complaint, please provide your full name, address and contact details along with details of the complaint, including dates and times if applicable.

Raise a Request

To lodge a complaint, please select the correct option below.
Your complaint will be assigned to the appropriate area for investigation.
You will receive a response within 10 working days.

Lodge a Complaint About Operations & Service

Lodge a Complaint About a City Employee

Lodge a Complaint About an Elected Member

Was this page helpful?