Council Complaint Resolution and Investigations Policies

Melville CEO Marten ‘Tin ear’ Tieleman has a reputation for failing to satisfactorily RESOLVE residents' complaints levelled at him and his administration; let alone properly investigating any of them.

COUNCILs ARE accountable for governance and oversight of our City; NOT conflicted, biased or underperforming CEOs.

Council must step-up and take responsibility for any longstanding and significant complaints against the CEO and his administration. Council’s failure to do so will result in the unacceptable malaise at, and the residents’ prolonged wave of discontent with the CEO and his administration continuing unabated.

Council must introduce and embrace Complaints Resolution polices and procedures to enable residents to put complaints independently to Council for quick and efficient investigation, resolution and corrective action to address the root causes of the City’s failures.

This motion was resoundingly passed by residents and ratepayers at the 6 February 2023 Electors AGM; no one spoke against it.

The Mayor and other Elected Members need to listen, learn and act. Any Elected Member that does not vote for and act on this motion does not deserve to be re-elected at this year’s October local government elections, that includes the Mayoral election this year.

Any Elected Member considering running for the Mayoral or other position in October should wake-up and realise CEO Marten Tieleman and any implicit or explicit support for his under performance, may be their biggest liability to their chances of election success.

Read the motion seconder’s very informed and insightful speech:

“Fortune 500 companies do not have complaint and investigation programs.

“They all have conflict resolution programs.

“Because turning a dissatisfied customer into a happy customer, adds more corporate value than all their advertising can engender.

“However, local government administrators have long understood that local government reputation is irrelevant because their anticompetitive, monopolistic, income guaranteed, legislated, structure, ensures business continues unabated, irrespective of the way in which community and ratepayers are treated or mistreated. And PSC standards ensure failed reputation under an administrator’s watch is no impediment to changing place of employment.

“But, the damage to a Councillor’s reputation from bad administrator decisions, hangs about forever. Just look at Katy’s struggles [Cr Katy Mair]. Some 20 years on.

“Section 1.3 of the [Local Government] Act defines and prescribes the measures Councillors are required to apply to affairs of their local government. Where are those measures against the hundreds of thousands of dollars expended in the cost of refusing resolution, that were presented to council for authorisation?

“Yet Council still does not see these costs could be saved and Councillor reputations bolstered should they take the responsible step of deploying and implementing competent complaints and disputation resolution.

“It is way past time to stop the duck shoving, name calling, libel, malice and misuse of ratepayer revenue. The Act provides more than 6 sectional references which support responsible conflict resolution as a proper function of local government.

"Please Councillors take on board your responsibilities and deliver benefit to everyone by deploying and implementing a competent complaints and disputation resolution function.”

The Minutes and audio recording of the AGM can be found at:

Minutes: https://www.melvillecity.com.au/our-city/our-council/agendas-and-minutes/annual-general-meeting-of-electors/2023/february/minute-annual-general-meeting-of-electors-6-februa

Audio (from circa 01:44:30 on): https://www.melvillecity.com.au/our-city/our-council/agendas-and-minutes/annual-general-meeting-of-electors/2023/february/audio-recording-annual-general-meeting-of-electors