MEDIA RELEASE
Friday, 16 October 2009
Watchdog’s in-tray continues to swell
Two hundred years on from the creation of the first ombudsman in Sweden in 1809, the
need for an independent ‘watchdog’ to safeguard citizens in their dealings with
government is more relevant than ever, with almost 46,000 people contacting the
Commonwealth Ombudsman during the past year.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman 2008-2009 Annual Report tabled in Parliament today
specifies that the majority (79%) of complaints dealt with by the Ombudsman were about
the correctness, propriety or timeliness of government agency decisions or actions.
Others involved the accuracy or completeness of advice (12%), the application of policy
or legislation to individual circumstances (6%), or public servant conduct (4%).
‘Everyone is entitled to be treated fairly by government,’ Commonwealth Ombudsman
Professor John McMillan said. ‘My office plays a vital role in ensuring that happens by
taking an active interest in accountability, transparency and integrity in government
decision making and service delivery.
‘The right to independently investigate complaints means that my office is able to help
people resolve problems with government based on merit and without fear of reprisal. By
applying what we learn through investigations, we are also able to help governments
improve their performance.’
The Ombudsman said his office had a particular interest in supporting and promoting
effective administration and delivery of programs to Indigenous Australians, especially in
the context of the Northern Territory Emergency Response (NTER).
‘In the second year of our involvement with the NTER, my office received more than 300
complaints and collected useful anecdotal information through informal discussions with
Indigenous communities,’ Professor McMillan said.
‘Very often the complaints stemmed from a lack of consultation or communication about
changes occurring in Indigenous communities. Such complaints are quickly and easily
resolved by providing up-to-date, comprehensive information to the people affected.’
Key statistics in the annual report for 2008-09 include:
approaches and complaints to the Ombudsman increased by 14% on 2007-08 from
39,934 to 45,719
5,233 complaints were investigated, compared to 4,700 the previous year
in 10% of the complaints investigated, some agency error or deficiency was
identified, compared to 8% last year
approaches and complaints related to more than 120 agencies
the office conducted 30 inspections of the records of law enforcement and other
agencies, compared to 10 inspections a year four years ago
the Ombudsman published 18 investigation reports—more than in any previous year
the Ombudsman made submissions to 19 parliamentary and other inquiries.
Of the 19,412 approaches and complaints within the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction received
during the past year, 15,368 (79%) were about six agencies. They were:
Centrelink (7,226)—the largest number of complaints came from people claiming
newstart allowance, disability support pension, family tax benefit and age pension
Child Support Agency (2,471)—complaints increased by 12% on last year,
representing the highest number since 2002–03 (2,515)
Australia Post (2,219)—complaints increased by 6.5% on 2007-08 (2,083)
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (1,459)—complaints decreased by 5%
from 2007-08; most common complaints related to problems in immigration
detention centres, delays in refunding security bonds, delays associated with
security clearances, and concerns about cancellation of visas on character grounds
Australian Taxation Office (1,422)—the most frequent complaints were about the
lodgement and processing of forms (31%), debt collection (15%), superannuation
(11%), complaint handling (8%) and taxpayer information (6%)
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (571)—complaints
decreased by 21% from 2007-08 (721), marking a return to the level of complaints in
2006–07 (567); complaints mainly related to the Department’s handling of
complaints about providers of Australian Government employment services, a large
proportion of which are Job Network Members.
The Commonwealth Ombudsman Annual Report 2008-2009 is available from
__________________________________
Media contact:
Fiona Skivington, Director Public Affairs
0408 861 803
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