Compliments and complaints

We welcome your feedback as it helps us improve our services.

Your feedback might be a compliment, a complaint or a suggestion. Whatever it is, your feedback is important and we are listening. It’s important that you share your feedback with us as soon as you can.

If you are giving a compliment or feedback, we will ensure this reaches the area or person you are referring to.

If your feedback is a complaint we will aim to resolve it as soon as possible as detailed below. If you are making a privacy complaint, please refer to the privacy policy and complaint form on the Privacy Policy page. If you want to make a complaint about serious misconduct or corruption, please read the below section on Public Interest Disclosures before submitting a complaint to Parks Victoria.

 

Interacting with Parks Victoria

The safety and wellbeing of our people is our highest priority. Parks Victoria does not condone or respond to unreasonable, offensive or malicious communication. Aggressive or threatening behaviour towards our staff will not be tolerated.

 

How to submit a compliment, complaint or feedback

  • Email info@parks.vic.gov.au providing as much detail as possible and setting out the desired outcome.
  • Call 13 1963 within Australia (or +613 6145 0211 internationally).
  • Speak to any Parks Victoria employee in person.
  • Write to us at:

    Level 10, 535 Bourke Street
    Melbourne Victoria 3000
    AUSTRALIA

  • If you are unable to make the complaint yourself, we will accept your complaint from an authorised representative.
  • If you need help with English, Parks Victoria Information Centre operators are trained to use telephone interpreters and will be able to take your call.
  • If you are deaf, or have a hearing impairment or speech impairment, contact us through the National Relay Service on 133 677 or visit www.relayservice.com.au.
  • If your complaint is about improper conduct by Parks Victoria officers, it may be a public interest disclosure – please read the below advice on Public Interest Disclosures. 
  • If your complaint is about child safety and wellbeing, please ensure you contact the police on '000' first in the event of an emergency incident.

 

 

Complaints process

What we do first

The person to whom you made the complaint will attempt to resolve the issue at a local level. If the issue is resolved, the staff member will contact you to ask if you would still like to lodge an official complaint. If you wish to make an official complaint, we will assess the complaint, question relevant officers, read any relevant documents and assign a complaints officer.

Response

We expect to respond to you within one month.

Your responsibilities

In making your complaint you are responsible for:

  • providing us with a clear explanation of the problem
  • providing us with suggested solutions you are seeking (if any)
  • giving us all the relevant information you have or know at the beginning
  • telling us new facts or letting us know if you no longer want help
  • co-operating with us by dealing only with the Complaints Officer
  • treating our staff with respect and courtesy.

If you feel at any stage that there is further clarification you can add to your complaint, please contact the nominated Complaints Officer. Likewise, if the Complaints Officer feels that your complaint is unclear or they require more information from you, they may telephone or email you to discuss.

Our responsibilities

Parks Victoria is responsible for:

  • handling your complaint professionally, efficiently and fairly
  • keeping you informed of our progress
  • giving you reasons for our decisions
  • treating you with respect and courtesy.

When a complaint takes longer to deal with

If our initial inquiries do not provide a satisfactory answer or reveal a bigger issue we will let you know and advise you of a revised time frame. It can take more time if we need to: 

  • inspect large volumes of information
  • conduct interviews
  • visit sites.

Escalating complaints

If you are dissatisfied with the response you may request for your complaint to be escalated to a senior officer at Parks Victoria.

If you have escalated the complaint and are still not satisfied with the response, you can contact an external agency, such as the Victorian Ombudsman.


Parks Victoria Procurement complaint management procedure

Parks Victoria is committed to transparent and accountable practices when seeking goods, services and works from suppliers. Parks Victoria aims to embed integrity and due process in dealing with Supplier Complaints to effectively and efficiently achieve the best possible outcome.

Parks Victoria’s complaint management process aligns with the Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB) requirements to ensure that any potential suppliers who may have concerns relating to a procurement process conducted by the agency can have those concerns addressed through an independent review process.

If you are involved in any procurement conducted by Parks Victoria and wish to lodge a complaint about the procurement processes you should write (by letter) to Park Victoria:

Complaints Officer
Parks Victoria
Level 10, 535 Bourke Street,
Melbourne VIC 3000

The written complaint must set out:

  • your name and/or organisation's contact details
  • the procurement that the complaint relates to
  • the basis for the complaint specifying the issues of the procurement processes involved
  • how the subject of the complaint and the specific issue of the procurement process affects you or your organisation;
  • any relevant background information
  • the outcome desired by you or your organisation.

Please note this complaint process applies only to the sourcing stage of procurement activities (e.g. RFX’s and tender processes). Complaints about the management of a contract (e.g. Contract performance, reporting, payment issues and etc.) should be made in accordance with the terms and conditions of the relevant contract in place with Parks Victoria.

Parks Victoria will acknowledge the complaint of the procurement process within five (5) working days of its receipt and will seek to address the complaint within twenty (20) working days of receipt. You may be contacted for further information and/or clarification of your concerns. If longer than twenty (20) days is anticipated to be required, you will be advised accordingly.

All complaints submitted to Parks Victoria will be reported annually to the Victorian Government Purchasing Board (VGPB) for publication in their Annual Report.

If a satisfactory resolution to your complaint could not be reached, Parks Victoria must inform the VGPB within five (5) days. If you are dissatisfied with Parks Victoria's response to your complaint and it relates to a goods and services procurement, you may refer the matter to the VGPB for review via email at: vgpb@dtf.vic.gov.au or via letter addressed to the VGPB Board Chair at:

Victorian Government Purchasing Board
Department of Treasury and Finance
GPO Box 4379
Melbourne 3001

The complainant must provide the VGPB with the following material:

  • Evidence that Parks Victoria did not correctly apply supply policies in relation to a procurement activity;
  • Evidence that Parks Victoria’s complaints management procedures were not applied correctly; and
  • A copy of all relevant correspondence between the complainant and Parks Victoria in relation to the nature of the complaint.

Services providers should also be aware that there are other government bodies who may be able to assist you with your enquiry. Please see the links below for more information:


See a diagram outlining the Parks Victoria Procurement complaint management procedure (PDF).


Public Interest Disclosures

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012 enables people to make disclosures about corrupt or improper conduct by public officers and public bodies - including Parks Victoria, our Board members and our employees. The act aims to ensure openness and accountability by encouraging people to make disclosures and protecting them when they do.

Improper or corrupt conduct involves substantial:

  • mismanagement of public resources; or
  • risk to public health or safety or the environment; or
  • corruption.

The conduct must be criminal in nature or a matter for which an officer could be dismissed.

Public interest disclosures can be made by contacting the Independent Broad-Based Anti-Corruption Commission (IBAC) Victoria -Level 1, North Tower, 459 Collins Street, Melbourne Victoria 3000 or via www.ibac.vic.gov.au

For a full description of improper or corrupt conduct, public interest disclosures and the associated processes, please refer to the IBAC website.

Please note that Parks Victoria is not able to receive public interest disclosures.

Parks Victoria has established procedures for the protection of persons from detrimental action in reprisal for making a public interest disclosure involving Parks Victoria or its employees.

You can find out more about Parks Victoria’s procedure on Public Interest below.

Parks Victoria’s Public Interest Disclosure commitment and role

Parks Victoria’s commitment

Parks Victoria is committed to eliminating corruption and improper conduct from its workforce. Parks Victoria is also committed to training its staff so there is a clear understanding of appropriate standards of conduct. It is also committed to holding staff to account if behaviours fall below those standards.

Parks Victoria’s role

For the purposes of the Public Interest Disclosures Act 2012:

  • Parks Victoria is a public body and its staff are public officers; but
  • Parks Victoria not a body that is empowered to receive public interest disclosures.

That is, Parks Victoria and its board members and employees can be the subject of a public interest disclosure.

Parks Victoria employees can make a public interest disclosure, as can members of the public.

Parks Victoria does not have a formal role in assessing conduct reported to IBAC and determined to be a public interest disclosure.

Parks Victoria may need to provide welfare for public interest disclosers and others involved in an investigation undertaken by IBAC or the Ombudsman.

Parks Victoria does from time to time, receive complaints or information regarding improper conduct by it or its staff via correspondence, phone calls, emails, or in person by a staff member or a member of the public.

Referral to the IBAC

Parks Victoria will refer the complainant directly to IBAC if it appears to be a complaint about improper or corrupt conduct. Parks Victoria’s Chief Executive can refer corrupt conduct to IBAC for investigation.

IBAC will then decide if the disclosure is a public interest disclosure and if the matter warrants investigation. It may also refer the matter to the Ombudsman for investigation.

Parks Victoria can undertake its own investigations

The Public Interest Disclosure regime does not preclude Parks Victoria from:

  • undertaking its own investigations into what might constitute corrupt conduct, or
  • referring a matter to the police if it involved potentially criminal conduct.

Your rights and responsibilities

What to do if you observe improper conduct?

If you observe a person or an organisation engage in an act that fits within the definition of serious improper conduct, you may report it directly to IBAC.

Confidentiality

If an employee becomes aware or suspects that an individual has made a public interest disclosure, they must keep the identity of that person confidential. They must also not take any detrimental action against that person. The taking of detrimental action can be a criminal offence.

Parks Victoria may be requested to assist IBAC or the Ombudsman in an investigation. All information pertaining to the investigation must be kept confidential. Breaching the confidentiality can be a criminal offence.

Any records relating to a public interest disclosure, a discloser or an IBAC or Ombudsman investigation, must be kept confidential and kept secure.

No detrimental action

Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2012, it is an offence for a person to take detrimental action against another person in reprisal for a public interest disclosure. There are statutory remedies to prevent detrimental action against anybody making a disclosure.

While Parks Victoria does not have a formal role in assessing public interest disclosures, it has an obligation to protect disclosers and people who co-operate with disclosures from fear of reprisal by ensuring the confidentiality of any details it may receive regarding:

  • the identity of a discloser; and
  • the contents of the disclosure.
 

Further queries

All queries concerning the information contained in this page should be directed to:

Chief Legal Counsel
Parks Victoria
Level 10, 535 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000

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