❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses a complaint regarding the Department of Communities' handling of a case raised by Bravehearts Foundation, focusing on process, ministerial awareness, and escalation pathways.
AnsweredQoN 11Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to a letter received from Bravehearts Foundation Limited on 14 June 2021, which was copied to the Minister for Child Protection; Women’s Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence and Community Services requesting the Department investigate the matters raised, and ask: (a) Has the Department of Communities Complaints Management Unit received a complaint about how the case in question has been handled: (i) If yes to (a) what deadline was given to resolve or respond to the complaints made; (b) Is the Minister aware of the complaints made regarding her Department’s treatment of issues raised by the complainant: (i) If yes to (c) when were the complaints brought to her attention; (c) Has the Minister, or any other Ministers to her knowledge, sought to intervene in the complaint process or held audience with the complainant regarding the case in question; (d) What oversight, if any, does the Minister have over the Department’s complaints process; (e) Has the Minister or her department made any representations to the Federal Department of Home Affairs with regard to the case the complaint relates to; and (f) Besides raising with the WA Ombudsman, what escalation apparatus are available to complainants unhappy with the treatment of their complaints by the Department?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
3 August 2021
Responded by
Minister for Women's Interests
Response time
1 days
(a) Yes.
(i) The initial complaint was lodged on 24 April 2021 and was finalised on 22 June 2021.
The complainant has requested a review of the complaint outcome with the Complaints Management Unit on 30 June 2021. The deadline to finalise the complaint review is 30 July 2021.
(b) Yes.
(i) I received a letter from Bravehearts Foundation Limited on 14 June 2021.
(c) No.
(d) Day to day operations of the Department of Communities, including its internal complaints process, is the responsibility of the Director General.
(e) No.
(f) The Department of Communities has a tiered complaints process. Tier One complaints are dealt with at a district level with the goal of resolution. If a person is remains dissatisfied, they can initiate a Tier Two complaint which is investigated by Communities’ Complaints Management Unit. Where matters remain unresolved at this level, people may seek an external resolution. The Ombudsman WA is the relevant external escalation apparatus available to complainants unhappy with the treatment of their complaints by Communities.
(i) The initial complaint was lodged on 24 April 2021 and was finalised on 22 June 2021.
The complainant has requested a review of the complaint outcome with the Complaints Management Unit on 30 June 2021. The deadline to finalise the complaint review is 30 July 2021.
(b) Yes.
(i) I received a letter from Bravehearts Foundation Limited on 14 June 2021.
(c) No.
(d) Day to day operations of the Department of Communities, including its internal complaints process, is the responsibility of the Director General.
(e) No.
(f) The Department of Communities has a tiered complaints process. Tier One complaints are dealt with at a district level with the goal of resolution. If a person is remains dissatisfied, they can initiate a Tier Two complaint which is investigated by Communities’ Complaints Management Unit. Where matters remain unresolved at this level, people may seek an external resolution. The Ombudsman WA is the relevant external escalation apparatus available to complainants unhappy with the treatment of their complaints by Communities.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.