Tag: community rights

What to say when Council stops listening and OLG needs to step in

Over the past few days a lot of people have contacted me asking the same question:


What is the best way to raise a concern with the Office of Local Government when Council will not resolve an issue?

Read the original blog post  for the pathway below

When residents need a guidebook to deal with their own Council

Here’s a simple guide to help you write a clear, effective complaint that the OLG can act on.

The most important thing

OLG cannot intervene just because something feels unfair. They step in when there’s evidence that Council has not followed its own policies or the NSW Local Government Act.
Your letter needs to show this plainly.

What to include

• A short summary of the issue, including the timeline
• What you asked Council to do and when
• Council’s response or lack of response
• The specific policy, procedure or legislation you believe Council has not followed. If you don’t know try Google
• Any documents, emails or screenshots that support your claim
• The outcome you are seeking
• Your contact details

Keep it factual, calm and organised.
This helps OLG assess whether the matter sits within their responsibilities.

Contact details for OLG

Email: olg@olg.nsw.gov.au
Phone: 02 4428 4100
Postal: Office of Local Government, Locked Bag 3015, Nowra NSW 2541

My suggestion is you email them, send them a snail mail copy and also send an email copy to your MP – in the case of Kiama that is Katelin McInerney

Kiama Electorate Office
A Ms Katelin McInerney, MP
102 Terralong Street
KIAMA NSW 2533
P (02) 4232 1082
F (02) 4232 3577
E kiama@parliament.nsw.gov.au

Why this matters

When the community follows a clear process, it is harder for any organisation to dismiss concerns or pretend the issue is complicated.
A well-written complaint demonstrates that residents know their rights and expect the standards set out in the Act to be upheld.

#OLG #LocalGovernment #CommunityRights #CouncilAccountability #Transparency #GoodGovernance #NSWOLG #CivicEngagement #KnowYourRights #CommunityAdvocacy

Councils rely on silence until a community remembers its voice

The three arrows represent the choices communities face when they encounter a council that holds all the authority and none of the curiosity. The left and right paths symbolise the familiar reactions that come with frustration, blame or fatigue. The path labelled Forward shows something different. It marks the moment a community steps out of the noise and moves with clarity and principle. Forward is the empowerment choice. It is the reminder that while we cannot control council’s behaviour, we can control how we act, how we respond, our character and how we treat others. It is the road that stays true to who we are.

When council forgets who the power belongs to

Power imbalance appears when a council begins to behave as if authority is ownership.
Information becomes selective. Access becomes conditional. The community is treated as an audience rather than the owner.

People feel the shift long before they name it. Straightforward questions turn into complicated pathways. Residents are managed instead of respected. Accountability starts to look optional.

How people get pushed toward the victim triangle

When the field is uneven, communities can slide into powerless roles. They feel dismissed or stonewalled and begin reacting from frustration, fatigue, or blame.
This is a predictable response to a system that holds all the levers.


The moment a community shifts from powerless to unstoppable

The way back is the empowerment triangle

Communities regain their footing when they centre the only things they control:
• how they act
• how they respond
• their character
• how they treat others

This is where agency settles in.
People organise. They ask precise questions. They document facts. They refuse drama. They stand in clarity rather than reaction.
The power imbalance may still exist, but it no longer defines the community’s stance.

 The simple principles that turn frustration into power

The shift that matters

Once people anchor themselves in principle, the dynamic changes.
Council can still try to shape the story or slow the process, but they cannot control a community that knows its rights, its voice, and its values.

The forward road belongs to all of us  –  if we make courage a shared act 
And even though some people cannot speak openly because they depend on Council, the community can still walk that road together. Forward is not the loudest choice, it is the principled one. It is how we hold our ground, protect each other and keep insisting on the standards our local government was meant to uphold.

#Kiama #CommunityVoice #GoodGovernance #Transparency #Empowerment #CivicEngagement #Accountability #LocalGovernment #PowerImbalance

I also acknowledge advocating/truth-telling at this level is easier for me. Once their actions forced me to leave a job I loved, I don’t rely on Council for anything, and I know many people who want to speak up but worry they will be punished for it. We all know examples of that happening in our community.