Project details
Contact us
Have questions or want to learn more about the policy contact:
| Name | Fusun Ozan |
|---|---|
| Phone | 02 9392 5922 |
| Fusun.Ozan@innerwest.nsw.gov.au |
Project stages
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Timeline item 1 - active
Open
This consultation is open for comment,
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Timeline item 2 - incomplete
Under Review
Contributions to this consultation are closed for evaluation and review.
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Timeline item 3 - incomplete
Council decision
Council will consider a report including community feedback before it makes its final decision.
What happens next?
Next steps
After the public exhibition, a report including your feedback will be presented to Council for consideration. Everyone who provided feedback will be informed when the report will be considered by Council.
At its meeting on 17 February 2026, Council endorsed the revised Complaints Handling Policy for public exhibition.
What is this policy about?
The policy outlines how complaints are managed across Council operations and has been updated to improve clarity, accessibility, and alignment with best practice and NSW Ombudsman guidelines.
The policy aims to support:
- Clear and fair complaint management
- Accessibility and transparency for all community members
- Continuous improvement in Council services
Your feedback will help us keep the process effective, transparent, and responsive, delivering better outcomes for the whole community.
The purpose of this policy is to:
- Provide a clear and transparent process for making and managing complaints
- Help staff respond to complaints fairly, effectively and on time
- Strengthen community confidence in Council’s processes
- Guide Council in managing complex complainant behaviour
- Identify external agencies to refer serious matters to
- Support continuous improvement in Council’s services, staff conduct and complaint handling.
This policy applies to all Council staff, elected councillors, community members and service delivery partners.
Complaints about staff grievances, breaches of the Code of Conduct, or public interest disclosures are handled through separate processes.
Hard copies of the policy can be viewed at the following locations:
Ashfield Service Centre, 260 Liverpool Road, Ashfield
Leichhardt Service Centre, 7-15 Wetherill Street, Leichhardt
Petersham Service Centre, 2-14 Fisher Street, Petersham
Marrickville Library, 313 Marrickville Road, Marrickville
Balmain Library, 370 Darling Street, Balmain
What has changed?
There were minor changes to the policy. The policy was rewritten in plain English. The table below summarises the changes to the revised policy.
| Clause | Change | Reason |
| Entire Policy | Re-written in Plain English | Information presented in plain English in line with The Australian Style Guide, based on the latest evidence on clear communication. |
| 5. Organisational Commitment | Reference to Policy | A reference to Council’s Councillor and Staff Interaction Policy has been added to clarify the referral of complaints directly raised with Councillors. |
| 6. Guiding Principles | Illustration update | Continuous improvement in clarifying information about the NSW Ombudsman’s Guiding Principles and model approach. |
| Terminology Update | To align with Council values, the reference to complainant conduct and references identifying specific behaviours as “Unreasonable” have been removed from this policy. | |
| 7. Three levels of Complaint Handling | Illustration update | Continuous improvement in clarifying information. |
| 9. The Complaint Management System | Illustration update | Continuous improvement in clarifying information. |
| Version History | Review period | Review period amended from every 2 years to every 3 years. |
Have your say
Your feedback will help deliver better outcomes for the whole community.
You can provide feedback by:
- Completing the form below
- Emailing to Fusun.Ozan@innerwest.nsw.gov.au
- Posting to c/o Fusun Ozan, Inner West Council, Po Box 14, Petersham NSW 2049
- Calling us on 02 9392 5922
Other ways to provide feedback:
- Call a FREE Interpreter or the National Relay Service, Monday to Friday between 9am-4pm and provide our phone number 02 9392 5922
- Free Interpreter call TIS National on 131 450
- Voice relay call 1300 555 727
- TTY call 133 677
- SMS relay call 0423 677 767
Last day to provide feedback is 22 March 2026
