At Benalla Rural City Council, we are proud to serve our community. Every day, our staff work hard to deliver the services, projects, and support that make Benalla a great place to live, work, and visit.
We believe that everyone deserves a safe and respectful environment. This applies to our customers, our visitors, and our staff.
Most of our interactions with the community are positive and productive. However, there are times when conversations can become difficult.
To ensure the wellbeing of our team, Council has adopted a Zero Tolerance approach to aggressive or abusive behaviour.
This means that while we are always here to listen and help, we will not accept behaviour that makes our staff feel unsafe, threatened, or devalued. Our staff are members of your community—they are your neighbours, friends, and family. Like everyone else, they have the right to come to work without fear of abuse.
We are committed to providing a high standard of customer service. When you contact us or visit our facilities, our staff will:
To help us help you, we ask that you treat our staff and other customers with the same courtesy. We value constructive feedback and understand that navigating Council processes can sometimes be frustrating, but abuse is never the answer.
Respectful engagement means:
Under our Dealing with Difficult Customers Policy, certain behaviours are considered unacceptable. If these occur, our staff are empowered to end the interaction, whether it is on the phone, online, or in person.
Unacceptable behaviour includes:
We are here to help. If you have an enquiry or need assistance, please contact us through our official channels.
Thank you for helping us maintain a safe, welcoming, and respectful workplace.