Minister vows reforms as Ombudsman reveals it fields 20 complaints on councils each week

Council staff and elected members have been urged to sharpen their act on conflicts of interest as the public sector watchdog deals with about 20 local government complaints each week.

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Council staff and elected members have been urged to sharpen their act on conflicts of interest as the public sector watchdog deals with about 20 local government complaints each week.

Ombudsman Wayne Lines has issued the warning as new figures show he received 974 complaints about local government last financial year — about 81 a month.

The Local Government Association and the minister responsible for councils have vowed to address Mr Lines’ concerns as part of sweeping reforms of the sector.

Mr Lines’ latest annual report, delayed by months because of a lack of staffing, shows the number of complaints about local government has risen from 965 in 2016-17 to 974 last year.

But historical data shows there has been a significant increase in the past decade, with just 594 complaints recorded in the 2007-08, meaning last year was a rise of 63 per cent.

Mr Lines said much of his time was being taken up by internal complaints within councils that can be costly and time-consuming.

State Ombudsman Wayne Lines and Local Government Minister Stephan Knoll.

“They are often hotly disputed and are taking up more and more of our time and resources,” Mr Lines said.

“Local government is a hotbed of conflict and my office is often caught in the middle of it.

“Allegations of council members breaching the code of conduct feature prominently in the types of matters investigated by my office.

“In particular, breaches of the code in terms of failing to comply with the conflict of interest provisions of the Local Government Act come to my attention regularly.”

Mr Lines said about 80 per cent of the complaints he receives are from residents and many of those are referred back to the councils’ own complaint-handling system.

He said some councils with a great many complaints were often targeted by persistent complainants who forensically analyse council documents with a fine-toothed comb.

Local Government Minister Stephan Knoll, who held a roundtable meeting with representatives from each of the state’s 69 councils two weeks ago, told The Advertiser he had set out a timeline for local government to create changes.

“The government will absolutely be looking at measures to reduces the instances of bullying, harassment and subsequent complaints within councils,” Mr Knoll said. “To their credit, the local government sector are aware this is a significant issue and hurts their ability to deliver for ratepayers.”

Local Government Association president and Sam Telfer.

LGA president Sam Telfer said the sector knows the code of conduct isn’t working as it should.

“The LGA would like to see reforms that empower councils to effectively deal with minor behavioural complaints, while recognising that the Ombudsman has an important role to play in addressing serious misconduct issues,” Mr Telfer said.

“We’d also welcome the introduction of safeguards that would protect councils and council members from frivolous and vexatious complaints, which can significantly increase council costs.”

Mr Lines said he had not uncovered a situation where a council member had voted on a motion the outcome of which would either provide them with a benefit or cause them a loss.

However, several times council members have been found to have failed to declare their actual or perceived interests in motions considered at council meetings,” he said.

Mr Telfer said the LGA often receives feedback from members that the current conflict of interest provisions are unnecessarily complicated.

“This may be leading to some interpretation issues,” he said.