Complaints process
Find details on how we deal with your complaint, our response times and how to get a decision reviewed.
Complaints we investigate
How to make a complaint
After you submit your complaint
Once you've made your complaint, we’ll make sure it gets to the right Council team to investigate it.
Council will be in touch within 3 to 5 days to give you a reference number and confirm the details of your request.
We’ll also reach out to you if we need more information, or to talk about any concerns you might have.
Request a review of your complaint outcome
If you’re unhappy with the outcome of a complaint or how the complaint was handled, you can ask Council review the decision or action.
You can:
To lodge an internal review request in writing, you’ll need to:
- send your request for an internal review to the Council officer or team that gave you your original response
- tell us what you want reviewed
- include all your previous correspondence with Council about the complaint and any extra information you’d like considered.
If you’re dissatisfied with the outcome you get from the internal review, you can ask for an independent review.
This review will be done by the Office of the Disputes Commissioner.
It can only be done if you’ve already requested an internal review from Council and received the outcome.
You’ll need to:
- email Council with your request
- include the outcome you received from the internal review and any extra information you’d like considered
- confirm all the information about your complaint when contacted as part of the review.
You will receive an acknowledgement of your independent review request within 5 business days.
Complaints management policy
Council has a complaints management policy to make sure we deal with complaints fairly.
Download the complaints mangement policy and administrative action complaints procedure.
Frequently asked questions
Council will provide you with a reference number and details of your request within 3 to 5 days when you make a complaint. Depending on how complex your complaint is, we’ll do everything we can to resolve it within 14 to 45 days.
If you haven’t received a response within this time, phone Council on 07 3403 8888.
Brisbane City Council can only help with complaints or requests inside the Brisbane local government area.
If your complaint relates to an issue which is outside of the Brisbane local government area, you’ll need to contact the council responsible for that area.
The Brisbane City Council local government area is bordered by the City of Moreton Bay, Somerset Regional Council, City of Ipswich Council and Logan City Council local government areas.
You can phone Council’s Contact Centre on 07 3403 8888 and quote your case reference number to find out the status of your request.
Council has a duty to uphold your human rights when we’re delivering services and making decisions. If you feel we haven’t done this, you can make a complaint.
You can make your complaint in writing, and address it to the Disputes Commissioner by:
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mailing Council at:
GPO Box 1434
Brisbane Qld 4001
You can also make a complaint to the Human Rights Commissioner through the Queensland Human Rights Commission website.
When lodging this type of complaint, you’ll need to say which of the 23 human rights you believe Council hasn’t upheld.
You must also provide all the relevant evidence in your initial complaint.