AUSTRALIA | NSW Ombudsman updates effective complaint management and good conduct guidelines

The New South Wales (NSW) Ombudsman, Professor John McMillan, recently published the 3rd editions of two guidelines for NSW government agencies: ‘Good conduct and administrative practice: Guidelines for state and local government’ and ‘Effective complaint handling guidelines’.

This new edition of the good conduct and administrative practice guidelines is presented as a series of user-friendly modules. It was produced in consultation with the other Australian Ombudsman and the New Zealand Ombudsman. It contains updated information to reflect key recent developments in NSW, most notably, the establishment of a State Public Service Commissioner and an ethical framework for the NSW government sector. All public officials are now required by law to uphold the four core values of integrity, trust, service and accountability contained within that framework.

The effective complaint handling guidelines have been updated to include the latest developments in best practice complaint handling. While there is no single process or system that will suit all agencies, all complaint management frameworks should be based on a number of principles:

• Culture: agencies must value complaints as a means of strengthening their administration and improving their relations with the public.
• Principles: an effective complaint handling system must be modelled on the principles of fairness, accessibility, responsiveness, efficiency and integration.
• People: complaint handling staff must be skilled and professional.
• Process: the seven stages of complaint handling – acknowledgment, assessment, planning, investigation, response, review, and consideration of systemic issues – should be clearly outlined.
• Analysis: information about complaints should be examined as part of a continuous process of organisational review and improvement.

Source: NSW Ombudsman, Australia