Department of Environment Complaints Procedure

1. A complaint can be received from any member of the public.
2. Once a Department of Environment employee recognizes that a member of the public is not satisfied they will inform her or him of the internal complaints procedure.
3. The person is initially asked to complete the Department of Environment Complaints Form (below or download) and return a signed copy to the office. If it is not possible for complainant to complete the Department of Environment Complaints Form then the staff member will write the complainant’s details on the form and submit it to the Director. There is also a section for the staff member to note any observations and additional information about the complaint and complainant on the form.
4. Once the Department of Environment Complaints Form is received by staff member of the Department of Environment it is stamped with a date and forwarded to the Internal Complaints Manager, Rebecca Jordison. If the Department of Environment Complaints Form was completed in person at the office then the complainant would receive a photocopy of the date stamped complaint form. Otherwise a photocopy of the complaint form will be sent to one of the complainant’s contact details within two business days.
5. All Department of Environment Complaints Forms are forwarded to the DoE IC Manager by the close of business on the date that the Complaint Form was completed and/or received.
6. All complainants will be notified that a written response from the Manager or her designate addressing the complaint will be sent within a reasonable amount of time dependent upon the degree of investigation required, however, typically no more than 30 working days. The written correspondence will include remedies and/or apologies where appropriate.
7. The Department of Environment Complaint Form, along with all written correspondences concerning the complaint, is filed in the Department of Environment’s Complaints File for seven (7) years.
8. Should the complainant not be satisfied with the response from the Manager then the complainant would be advised that they could report their complaint to the Office of the Complaints Commissioner.
9. All Complaint Forms that are received, along with the outcomes, will be reviewed and discussed in a strictly confidential manner with the Director and/or Deputy Directors in an effort to improve service delivery.