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Complaints and compliments

The Department of Housing and Public Works welcomes your compliments, complaints, or any other feedback that will help us improve our services.

We are committed to effectively handling complaints in a timely and professional manner.

If you have a complaint or compliment about our service or actions, we encourage you to read the following information:

Compliments

We strive to document and act on feedback so that our services and actions can be enhanced and encouraged. If you would like to compliment us on something we've done well, please give us your feedback by:

Complaints

You can make a complaint about any aspect of the services or actions of the department or our staff, including privacy breaches.  If we cannot help you with your complaint we will give you advice about where to get help.

Please note that we will not accept complaints about:

  • matters already dealt with or currently being dealt with by the department, another department or agency, court or tribunal
  • matters that are impractical to investigate, or
  • matters that appear to concern frivolous matters or appear to have been made vexatiously.

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If I have a complaint, what should I do first?

If you have a complaint or a concern, there are some steps you can take to help us help you.

  1. Go local first: Many concerns can be resolved quickly and easily by speaking with local staff.
  2. Act quickly: Please tell us about the problem as soon as possible. The earlier you tell us, the sooner we can act.
  3. Make your complaint clear: To help us assess and resolve your complaint, please give us as much information as possible including details of the issue, dates, phone calls and any other supporting information. Please also tell us the outcome you are seeking or the action that you want the department to take.

Anonymous complaints

Anonymous complaints will be accepted.

However, in circumstances where an anonymous complaint is received, we may find it difficult to thoroughly assess or respond to the complaint if there is not enough detail.

In this situation, the complaint may not be able to be fully assessed. For this reason, we encourage complainants to provide their contact details. A complainant who wishes to remain anonymous may provide an alias instead.

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How will my complaint be handled?

If you make a complaint:

  • it will be treated seriously and investigated promptly
  • we will consider human rights as part of the handling of your complaint
  • we will provide reasonable assistance to you
  • we will handle your complaint in a way that is culturally appropriate and responsive to any special needs you may have
  • you will not be victimised
  • in most instances, we will attempt to resolve your complaint within the local area
  • we will deal with your complaint according to the seriousness, frequency and consequences of the complaint
  • confidentiality will be observed as far as possible
  • you will be given timely feedback about your complaint.

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Who do I contact to make a complaint or give a compliment?

View information on who to contact to make a complaint or give a compliment.

or

Submit your complaint or compliment by using the Queensland Government complaints and compliments online form.

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What if I need help to make my complaint?

We can help by:

  • providing an interpreter if you have language difficulties or are visually or hearing impaired
  • letting you know where you can get further help and information.

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Privacy and your personal information

In the course of investigating and taking action in response to complaints, personal information will be collected and handled in accordance with the 11 Information Privacy Principles in the Information Privacy Act 2009 (Qld).

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Storage of complaint information

Documentation relating to complaints is stored on a file which is retained in locked storage.

Information relating to complaints is accessible only by those staff members whose duties require them to deal with the information.

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How will I know what’s happening to my complaint?

We will keep you informed about the progress of your complaint and any action taken.

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What can I do if I am unhappy with the outcome of my complaint?

If you are unhappy with how your complaint has been dealt with, you can request that your complaint is reviewed by the department.

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What can I do if I am unhappy with how the department has handled my complaint?

If you are dissatisfied with any action taken by the department in relation to your complaint, and after you have exhausted all available avenues of review within the department, you can request that the decision be reviewed by the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman:

Office of the Queensland Ombudsman
Phone: (07) 3005 7000
Freecall: 1800 068 908

Breach of privacy

If your complaint is about a breach of privacy and you are dissatisfied with the department’s resolution of your complaint, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner:

Phone: (07) 3234 7373
Freecall: 1800 642 753
Email: administration@oic.qld.gov.au

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More information

For more information about how we handle complaints, please read our Complaints Management Policy (PDF, 398KB) and Complaints Management Procedure (PDF, 511KB).

In accordance with section 219A of the Public Service Act 2008 (Qld), the department reports that in the 2018-19 financial year, the department received 259 customer complaints. These complaints are defined in the department’s Complaints management policy. Each of the complaints received resulted in further action (that is, some form of investigative response).

For specific information relating to public interest disclosures (including complaints involving suspected corrupt conduct) please refer to:

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Last updated: 
3 June 2020