Candidate vows to have words ’It’s not my job’ banned at council

A council candidate says she will make sure these three annoying words are banned for council staff if she wins election.

COUNCIL candidate Brooke Patterson says she will move to have the phrase “not my job” banned from the working council vocabulary if elected to the new Southport division.

Ms Patterson said she was taking the stand after residents complained that the most common answer received when seeking help from public officials on municipal concerns was “it’s not my job”.

Council workers on the job cleaning up the beach at Surfers Paradise. Picture: Jerad Williams.

“What I’m hearing consistently is the frustration and annoyance residents encounter at not being able to get a straight answer on important local matters that require council involvement,” the Division 6 candidate said.

Residents were being left to navigate the complexities of council rules, regulations and bureaucracy on their own, and were often overwhelmed, Ms Patterson said.

“Our Gold Coast council is meant to be there for the local people, to serve local residents. Residents are, in fact, the council’s clients, and as such, they certainly deserve more support, clarity and resolution when dealing with local issues that come under the council’s control,” she said.

“And while council staff may be wanting to serve clients the best way they can, they are limited by a silo department approach.”

Gold Coast City Council candidate Brooke Patterson who will be running in the new Division 6.

Southport resident Yvette Coglan said phone attempts to pin down information on a non-compliant development underway in her neighbourhood were a “waste of time”.

“When you call the first point of contact, they shove you over to someone else and give you a reference number,” Ms Coglan said.

“When you ring back, because you never hear from them, you give the reference number and ask who is the officer taking over this case.”

When Ms Coglan gave a name, she recalls a staffer asked her: “Les who?” And then after a pause told her: “I can’t tell you that.”

Ms Coglan finally found the right council department and rang another staffer who replied: “Les who?”

“I told them it was a good question. I mean honestly, it’s like a comedy,” Ms Coglan said.

“They work on the proviso that 98 per cent of population will say ‘oh what the heck’. They always ask for your name and phone number.

“I say ‘what’s the point, you never call me back’. Then I waited 25 minutes on hold before we could even get started.

Brooke Patterson talking to community members. Picture: Jerad Williams.

“I have heard about HOTA that many times and who is going to be in the next Eurovision waiting on the phone. Who has 25 minutes to wait on the phone?”

Australia’s second-largest local authority has about 3500 staff and, in a recent survey, about 32 per cent of 6000 residents polled spoke positively about their experience.

About 70 per cent said they “somewhat or strongly agreed” they were getting clear and accurate information from council staff but council has begun developing a technical road map to improve its communication channels.

Ms Patterson said: “A simple solution that could streamline this whole council process and give residents like Yvette the direction they are needing, would be to have a ‘point-person’ available.

“We need to create a culture in council where staff are seeing residents as their clients, their customers, who should be receiving a high level of service every time.”