Parking officers told to ease off Author: CAMERON HOUSTON, CITY REPORTER Date: 07/06/2006 Publication: The Age
MORE than $32,000 in incorrectly issued parking fines have been refunded by Melbourne City Council and parking inspectors have been told to become more "customer focused", following a scathing report from the State Ombudsman.
The sweeping reforms, proposed by a council management report, will shift the focus away from revenue raising, with parking inspectors no longer required to meet a target of 30 infringement notices a day.
Melbourne's much-maligned "grey ghosts" will be trained to provide customer service, including how to give traffic directions to city motorists, in an attempt to soften their image.
Last year, the State Ombudsman responded to whistleblower complaints and raided the council's Parking and Traffic Branch twice, uncovering a culture of mismanagement and ineptitude.
Deputy Ombudsman John Taylor told The Age of a "litany of human error, mistakes and, in some instances, a failure to take action on advice available."
Council chief executive officer David Pitchford conceded yesterday the department had been plagued by problems for more than 10 years.
"It would be fair to say the council has had serious concerns regarding the management and operation of the Parking and Traffic Branch for well over a decade," Mr Pitchford said.
He described management processes as "poor" and "ad hoc" and recommended a comprehensive overhaul, including a new recruitment program.
The council report is the second review of the Parking and Traffic Branch in less than two years. An earlier independent consultants report identified "morale problems, absenteeism and complaints of bullying".