The Shire of Corrigin comprises a diverse range of people, communities and landscapes. It is imperative that the vision captures the diversity of the area and is inclusive of all as the Shire moves forward. The community’s vision has been developed with a range of input received through the community engagement process. It reflects clear community aspirations for a ten year period of the Strategic Community Plan.
A Council and workforce dedicated to working together to provide quality services to our community by embracing the following values:
Communication
Communication with the Community
The Shire of Corrigin uses a range of methods for communicating with the general public including:
- Council meetings, community forums, public meetings, and Annual Electors Meetings.
- Advertisements in the West Australian for legislated statewide public notices.
- Advertisements in the local newspaper.
- Displaying information with poster displays.
- Bulk email distribution list.
- Shire website.
- Facebook page.
- Delivered leaflets; and
- Noticeboard located at the Administration Office, Community Resource Centre, and Main Street.
One, or a combination, of any of the above methods may be used at any time to notify members of the public of activities and events within the Shire of Corrigin and to promote the Shire generally.
Additionally, the monthly newsletter, will be distributed via a bulk email distribution list to the community as well as being included in The Windmill, on the shire social media page and on the website.
Abusive Customers
Where a customer is abusive or uses bad language, the communication may be terminated immediately by the Officer. If face to face, the Officer may walk away. If by telephone, the Officer may terminate the call. If in an email the address may be blocked or not responded to.
The Chief Executive Officer may decide (or delegate to Managers) to limit or cease responses to any person who is abusive and or derogatory in his/her communication with Council or who fails to accept that Council has done all that it can to assist. A decision of this nature will be communicated in writing to the person.
If an Officer feels threatened by the language or behaviour of the customer, the Police may be notified.
Compliments and Complaints
A Compliment is an expression of approval or praise about our products or services. To give us a compliment a simple ‘Thank You’ or acknowledgement of quality service with a letter, email, or comment on our social media.
A Suggestion is an idea or proposal that you believe will help improve our products and services
A Works Request is used to report a problem or request a service from the Shire in relation to one of our many services or facilities maintained by the Shire a works request can be completed by attending our Administration Office or on our website. A Works Request is not a request for private works on private property or facilities.
A Complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about our products or services, or the complaints handling process itself, where you expect a response or resolution.
What is not a complaint?
- A request for service.
- A request for information or an explanation of a policy or procedure.
- Disagreement with a policy or procedure of the Council.
- An expression concerning the general direction and performance or behavior of Council or its Councillors; and
- Reports about neighbours, noise, dogs, nuisances, unauthorised building work or similar issues that fall into the regulatory aspect of the Shire’s service.
Complaints Management Process
A complainant may make a complaint by phone, email or in person to any Shire of Corrigin representative but will be required to formalise the complaint in writing. Correspondence should be addressed to the Chief Executive Officer and the complainant’s contact details are required to be provided.
Your complaint should include:
- who or what you are complaining about.
- what you think has gone wrong.
- how you have been affected.
- when the issue occurred.
- details of any telephone conversations and/or meetings.
- copies of relevant documents (e.g. correspondence);
- what you have done to try and resolve the issue.
- the outcome you are seeking
Once a complaint is lodged, we undertake to acknowledge it in writing if it has not previously been resolved. We will inform you of any progress within seven working days.
Some complaints may take longer to finalise, due to the complexity of the issue. If this is the case, we will keep you involved in the process and provide you with regular feedback.
If you need any further clarification on how your complaint will be managed, we will provide you with information on our Complaint Handling Procedure.
If a complaint remains unresolved or you are dissatisfied with our process in dealing with a complaint, alternative avenues to explore include:
Ombudsmans Office – The Ombudsman investigates complaints about State Government departments, agencies, and boards; government services such as hospitals, prisons, schools and Local Governments. The Ombudsman will generally ask that you try to resolve the complaint first with the public authority involved.
Mail: PO Box Z5386, St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6831
Telephone: (08) 9220 7555 or Toll Free 1800 117 000
Website: www.ombudsman.wa.gov.au
Email: mail@ombudsman.wa.gov.au
Department of Local Government – The Department of Local Government Standards Panel deals with complaints about council members who it is alleged have committed a breach of one or more of the provisions of the Local Government (Model Code of Conduct) Regulations 2021. The panel is independent of the Minister for Local Government and the department. The standards panel has no jurisdiction to deal with complaints made against local government employees.
Mail: GPO Box 8349, Perth Business Centre, Perth WA 6849
Telephone: (08) 6552 7300 or Toll Free 1800 634 541
Website: www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au
Email: info@dlgsc.wa.gov.au