Our service promise

Ensuring positive experiences

When you deal with Council, we want to make sure you have a positive experience. We want you to feel that your concerns are taken seriously and that your questions are clearly answered. For more complex issues, we want you to know how we are working towards a resolution.

Our service standards

No matter how you reach out to us, we are committed to addressing your concerns or queries in a timely manner.

By phone

You can call our Customer Service department on 03 9217 2170 and they will direct your call to the relevant area of Council.

What you can expect

We will answer your call promptly and professionally and if we can’t answer your question immediately, we will connect you with the right person. If you call us outside our business hours of 8:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday to Friday, you can speak with our after-hours team for help with an emergency issue.

By email

You can contact us via email at info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au

What you can expect

An automated email reply will be sent to confirm receipt of your email. A personalised reply will be sent within three working days. While we may not be able to complete your request in that time, we will let you know what will happen next and when you can expect the next update.

On social media

We love to connect with the community via social media. Find out more about our various social media accounts and how to engage with us on these platforms.

What you can expect

We will respond to your enquiry via social media within one working day. While we may not be able to complete your request at that time, we will explain how we are handling it.

On our website

You can report an issue online via our website for a wide range of topics.

What you can expect

You will receive a reference number along with the timeframe required for your issue to be resolved.

Report an issue online

In person

Come in to our offices and speak with one of our friendly Customer Services officers to discuss your issue.

Council offices
25 Ferres Boulevard
South Morang
VIC 3752 Australia

What you can expect

When you visit our offices, you will be served promptly and professionally by our qualified staff. Our goal is to resolve your enquiry on the spot. If we can't do so, we will direct you to the right person or organisation.

Compliments and complaints

Your positive feedback is both appreciated and celebrated. If you would like to pass on a compliment to a member of our team you can call us on 03 9217 2170 or email info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au.

It is also important for us to know if you are not satisfied with our services. Please let us know at info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au or call 03 9217 2170

We value your feedback and it helps improve our services.

Our approach to complaints

We take a four-tiered approach to handling complaints. If we're not the right organisation to respond to the complaint, our staff will refer you to the organisation that can help. 

1. Frontline resolution

When we receive your complaint, we will record it and try to resolve it quickly and easily.

2. Investigation

If your complaint can't be resolved by our frontline staff, it will be referred to a Council officer to investigate.

3. Internal review

If you are not satisfied with the result of our investigation, you can request an internal review of the outcome.

4. External review

If you are still unsatisfied with the outcome provided by the internal review process, let us know. You will be informed of any external avenues through which you can pursue your complaint, such as the Victorian Ombudsman’s Office.

Learn about our complaint handling process

Unreasonable complainant conduct

Positive experiences depend on everyone involved behaving appropriately. Just as we hold our staff to high service standards, we expect customers:

  • to treat staff with courtesy and respect
  • provide honest and reasonable assistance
  • refrain from abusive, violent, or offensive behaviour that may pose a threat to their health, safety and wellbeing.

We have zero tolerance for abusive, violent, or offensive behaviour, or behaviour which because of its frequency poses a threat to staff health and/or safety.

Customers who exhibit unreasonable conduct will be issued a warning in writingfrom Council’s CEO. If the unreasonable conduct continues, the customer may be limited to interacting with Council through restricted channels and/or personnel.

Download the guidelines

(PDF, 331KB)Unreasonable complainant conduct guidelines 2024(PDF, 326KB)

If you need this document in another format, please email info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au or call 03 9217 2170.

Privacy

We only collect personal information from you with your prior knowledge and consent. We will use the personal information you provide for the purposes for which it was collected. This may include contacting you to participate in research to help improve our services.

Read our Privacy Statement

Accessibility and inclusion

To ensure our services and our staff are accessible to our entire community we offer a range of options to assist you.

Staff training and disability awareness

Our staff have undergone disability awareness training and are committed to ensuring high quality services for all. If you need additional assistance, please let us know so we can help.

Physical environment

All reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that our public spaces and places are accessible to all. Please let us know if you encounter difficulty accessing public spaces and places.

Learn about planning outings with local Access Keys

If you have a speech or hearing impairment

  • For phone enquiries please call the National Relay Service on 133 677 and ask for 03 9217 2170.
  • We have assisted hearing devices available for you when attending a meeting at Council.
  • If you visit the Civic Centre or Edge Youth Facility, we have assisted hearing devices at each of our front counters.

If you need an interpreter

  • For phone enquiries please call 131 450 and the interpreter will connect you with Council and conduct a three-way conversation.
  • For complex enquiries we will arrange for an interpreter to attend a scheduled meeting to assist you.
  • Our website has information available in multiple languages which you can select via the drop-down menu. Upon request, we will provide detailed written translations of specific Council information.

We're ready to listen. We value diversity and work hard to ensure our entire community feel welcome and included. We have a range of programs to help us deliver on our promise to ensure our services are accessible and inclusive for everyone.

Visit our community support pages