The primary objective of the Commission is the advancement of Indigenous peoples in the welfare reform communities. This commitment and the associated policies of the Commission to support this commitment are demonstrated throughout the Commission’s Annual Reports. The operations of the Commission are aimed at strengthening relationships in the communities, fostering respect, building community members capabilities in order to access future opportunities and ensuring accountability. The Commission promotes an environment where Indigenous cultures are acknowledged through our conferencing process which is conducted in the local language where required. The Commission encourages the positive contributions that community members can make to their local communities and the empowerment which results from rebuilding local Indigenous authority.
An example of the Commission’s commitment to reconciliation is the development of Community Engagement Guidelines for the welfare reform communities. The protocols specified in these guidelines determine the behaviour and engagement strategies to be practised by Commission staff and visitors in and out of community.
The Commission maintains high standards of professionalism and integrity in relation to community members who are notified to the Commission and agencies with which the Commission has dealings in the performance of its functions. The Commission has an Employee Complaints Management Policy and an External Complaints Management Policy located under Policies and Guidelines which comply with the Australian and International Service Standards (AS4269/ISO10002). These policies meet the requirements of section 218A of the Public Service Act 2008 wherein the chief executive must implement effective strategies to:
and the requirements of section 219A of the Public Service Act 2008 wherein the chief executive must implement effective strategies to:
These policies provide a mechanism for complaints management and resolution through an independent and transparent process which provides for natural justice in resolving grievances. The Commission takes seriously all complaints against its decisions and actions and the conduct of its staff, and through its complaints management policies.
The Human Rights Act 2019 came into effect on 1 January 2020. The Act is a framework for the Queensland public sector and places the human rights of individuals at the forefront of government and public sector service delivery, recognising that ensuring and nurturing the human rights of all people forms the basis of good governance. It ensures that even the most vulnerable must have their human rights respected. It is therefore clear that as employees in a public entity, and as employers, we must consider the impact of our decisions and actions on the human rights of those we serve.
Recognising that as part of protecting human rights, an appropriate and transparent complaints process is fundamental, the Commission’s Complaints Management Policies incorporate the need to identify and deal appropriately with a human rights complaint. The Commission has adopted the ‘receive/assess/consider/resolve/respond/learn/report’ methodology to handle human rights complaints. The Commission will act and make decisions in a way that is compatible with human rights and will properly consider human rights when making decisions in regard to complaints. Complaints handling processes will be robust and appropriate where they consider human rights in the context of every complaint, not just those where a breach of a human right is specifically identified.
Last reviewed June 2022
