Internal Ombudsman

Three people standing side-by-side and smiling.

L-R: Sarah Labone, Elizabeth Renneberg, Finbarr Cahalane

The Internal Ombudsman Shared Service (IOSS) provides an independent ear to residents, community members, ratepayers, local businesses, staff, Councillors and other Council Stakeholders regarding complaints about:

administrative conduct
unethical behaviour by Council
corrupt conduct
misconduct
or maladministration

The IOSS operates under 'The Internal Ombudsman Shared Service Governance Charter' with Inner West Council, City of Parramatta and Cumberland City Councils.

All operations are underpinned by principles of procedural fairness, accountability and transparency.

The service assists Council with policy development and review and offers training in good governance and administrative conduct.

What can the Internal Ombudsman Investigate?

The Internal Ombudsman can investigate or refer for investigation, complaints about Council, including:

Administrative processes
Failure to comply with Council's Code of Conduct, polices or procedures
Lack of attention to requests or complaints, including failure to respond or act
Allegations of poor administration, maladministration, corruption, or other alleged improper conduct by Council or Council officials
Anonymous complaints if sufficient details are provided
Matters referred by the ‘Internal Ombudsman Shared Service Management Committee’.

What can’t the IOSS investigate?

The Internal Ombudsman is unable to investigate complaints where:

Council has not been given the opportunity to review or investigate in the first instance, in line with the Complaints Handling Policy
Matters raised are not part of the service Council provides
Initial referral is required to external agencies, including the NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption (the ICAC), the NSW Office of Local Government, the NSW Ombudsman, or the NSW Police
Sufficient details are not provided to allow a proper investigation
Issues raised are frivolous, vexatious, not made in good faith or are trivial in nature.

Before making your complaint, you can contact the IOSS for advice and assistance.

What does an investigation involve?

Each complaint will be reviewed and prioritised based on its merit and seriousness.

A written acknowledgment will be sent to the person making the complaint (customer) within three business days
Information provided will be reviewed
Relevant person(s) will be interviewed
A confidential report will be provided to the General Manager, including details of evidence reviewed, outcomes of the investigation and any appropriate recommendations
A written response will be sent to the customer, in line with requirements of relevant legislation, detailing results of the investigation and actions (if any)
Each investigation will be completed in a timely manner.

Based on the nature and urgency of the complaint, the Internal Ombudsman may refer investigation to another body, internal or external to Council.

What outcomes can I expect from an investigation?

If a report from the IOSS finds the complaint to be valid, the Internal Ombudsman can recommend appropriate action to be taken by Council.

It is the General Manager’s responsibility to address recommendations made by the Internal Ombudsman and ensure their implementation within Council.

Council is required to record each recommendation made by the Internal Ombudsman, take appropriate action and record what action has been taken. The Internal Ombudsman has the right to request progress information at any time.

Personal information is managed in accordance with Council's Code of Conduct and the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998.

IOSS enquiries and investigations are undertaken in private and in a secure location. Confidentiality must be maintained by all parties to the complaint being investigated.

The IOSS manages and maintains each Council’s records with strict separation and confidentiality.

Council staff and Councillors are bound by the confidentiality and privacy provisions of Council's Code of Conduct.

The ‘Internal Ombudsman Shared Service Governance Charter’ outlines in detail the scope of the Internal Ombudsman service, including who can make complaints, what types of complaints will be investigated and how these will be resolved.

IOSS Governance Charter (PDF 406.8KB)

IOSS Fact Sheet (PDF 370.4KB)

The IOSS will not consider complaints, where Council has not been given the opportunity to review or investigate the issues raised in the first instance. This is in line with the Complaints Handling Policy.

If you have not previously referred your formal complaint to Council, we recommend you submit your complaint for investigation by Council through: Let us know how we're doing.

Allow 10 business days to receive a resolution from Council, or a progress update to let you know of any delays.

If the IOSS assess the complaint to be significantly serious or systemic the complaint may be considered, prior to Council’s initial review.

Before making your complaint, you can contact the IOSS for advice and assistance.

Before making a complaint to IOSS you should take all reasonable steps to try and resolve the matter with Council. If the complaint is about an administrative issue, you should request Council review its processes before contacting the Internal Ombudsman.

Allow 10 business days to receive a resolution from Council, or a progress update to let you know of any delays. If after this period the complaint has not been resolved, then you may forward your complaint in writing to the Internal Ombudsman.

Your complaint to the IOSS must include full details with any relevant records attached.

Lodge a complaint online using the Internal Ombudsman Shared Service Complaint Form
Download and complete the Internal Ombudsman Shared Service Complaint Form (PDF 144KB)

Complaints can be emailed to IOSS.

Internal Ombudsman staff are available in person or by telephone to assist with this process.

See contact details on this page.

Annual reports issued from 25 September 2017, by the IOSS, provide an overview of the work undertaken by the service and outlines plans for the year ahead.