Complaints about council services

If you have a concern or complaint about a council decision or service you should contact your council’s customer service area, call centre or enquiry counter, which may be able to quickly address your concern.

If you cannot resolve the matter, you can write to the council and make an official complaint. All councils must have a complaints management process, including written policies and procedures for how they manage and respond to complaints. This process must be publicly available at their office and on their website.

If you are not satisfied with the council’s response, the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman or Queensland Human Rights Commission may be able to help.

The Office of the Queensland Ombudsman will impartially investigate complaints against councils. It considers the administrative action of the council and determines whether the action was taken in a lawful and reasonable manner. The Ombudsman provides a free and independent service and may make recommendations back to councils.

The Queensland Human Rights Commission handles complaints under the Anti-Discrimination Act 1999 and the Human Rights Act 2019. Its role is to ensure the basic right of all people to fair treatment no matter what their circumstances or background.