Complaints about Elected Members

If you are concerned an Elected Member has breached the Elected Members Code of Conduct or the Local Government Act 1995, you can make a complaint. Find out more below. 

Breaches of the Elected Member Code of Conduct

All Elected Members are required to abide by the Rules of Behaviour (Division 3) and Rules of Conduct (Division 4) outlined in our Elected Members Code of Conduct.

If you believe an Elected Member has breached a Rule of Behaviour or Rule of Conduct, you can make a complaint. Who you make your complaint to and how depends on whether the suspected breach is of a Rule of Behaviour, or of a Rule of Conduct:  

• If the suspected breach is of a Rule of Behaviour, this is dealt with by us. Please read our Code of Conduct Policy and complete our Elected Member Conduct Complaint PDF Form for more information and to initiate this process. You must make your complaint within one month of the suspected breach. 
• If the suspected breach is of a Rule of Conduct, this is considered to be a ‘minor breach’ and is dealt with by the Local Government Standards Panel, although we will be the ones to receive the complaint in the first place. Please see the Making a Complaint of a Minor Breach page on the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries website for more information, and to access the correct form. You must make your complaint within 6 months of the suspected breach. 

We aim to respond to all complaints promptly, and to handle them objectively, fairly and confidentially. Our role is not to advocate for any particular party, but to provide information and assistance to both parties as part of the complaint resolution process. 

Breaches of the Local Government Act 1995 

If you have grounds for believing an Elected Member has breached a specific provision of the Local Government Act 1995 (commonly called a ‘serious breach’), you can make a complaint to the Department for Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries.

For more information on this process, including a list of actions which are considered to be a ‘serious breaches’ as well as how to make a report, see the Make a Serious Breach Complaint page on the Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries website.  

 Suspected Fraud or Corruption

We have zero tolerance for fraudulent or corrupt conduct by our Elected Members and support the reporting of suspected wrongdoing. 

Please refer to the Shire of Boyup Brook Policy G12 – Fraud and Corruption Control.