LLB230 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Police Integrity Commission, Advantageous, Nick Greiner
Week 2: Investigating Government Action: Ombudsman & Anti-Corruption
Relevant Legislation:
Ombudsman Act 1976 (Cth)
Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 1988 (NSW)
The following websites may be useful:
www.ombudsman.gov.au
www.icac.nsw.gov.au
Ombudsman
What is the Ombudsman?
• “tated i Sweden, 1809
• First English speaking country → New Zealand, 1962
• Introduced part of the overhaul of the administrative law system after Kerr and
Bland Reports
• NSW → 1975
• Commonwealth → 1976 → Ombudsman Act 1976 (Cth)
'An Office provided for by the Constitution or by action of the Legislature or Parliament and
headed by an independent, high-level public official, who is responsible to the Legislature or
Parliament, who receives complaints from aggrieved persons against Government agencies,
officials and employees, or who acts on [his] own motion, and who has the power to
investigate, recommend corrective action and issue reports.'
“eate “tadig Coittee,
• Coo fous → aladiistatio i goeet
• Not i ostitutio
• Eated as a at of paliaet
• Offie u soeoe ho is appoited
• Looks at thigs that go og
• Not eieig a deisio that as ade ut thigs that fall outside that o, e.g.
teated pool o a deisio ade that adesel affeted
How does the Ombudsman Promote Access to Justice? (CB 248)
• Poidig a ehais fo esolig lo alue disputes
• Helpig to oeoe poe ialaes
• Poidig a poess that is siple to use
• Idetifig ad addessig sstei issues
• ‘esolig oth legal ad o-legal issues
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Types and Jurisdiction
Commonwealth
• Dishages sepaatel titled oles of the Defee Foe, Iigatio, La
Efoeet, Postal Idust, Oeseas “tudets, ACT ad Nofolk Islad
Oudsa → Oudsa At
• ‘eeies histle-loe oplaits ude the Puli Iterest Dislosure At
Cth
• Departments of the public service
• Commonwealth departments, executive and statutory authorities
• Executive and statutory authorities (s5)
• Some non-government bodies that provide goods and services to the public under a
contract with the government (s3(4B), 3(BA))
• Private postal operators
• NOT actions taken by a minister, court or tribunal or concerning public sector
employment (s5)
Industry Ombudsman
Set up for large organisations that receive a lot of complaints from the public and deal with
public services but provided by private companies → accountability mechanism
• Health Isuae Oudsa
• Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
• Energy and Water Ombudsman (NSW)
• Financial Ombudsman Service Banking Industry Ombudsman
• Resolved around 542,000 complaints in 2011-12 → Access to Justice Arrangements
(2014)
NSW Ombudsman
• State departments
• Local government authorities
• Police
• Prisoners held in privately run facilities
Usuall state Oudsa has oe futio ut also has othe futios taked o
Statutory Framework for Ombudsman Offices
• Mostl the sae i ee Austalia juisditio
• Mai featues:
- Ceatio → offie eated statute
- Appoitet → Oudsa appoited the Goeo-Geeal fo a te of
up to eas, ad a ol e eoed a esolutio of oth houses of
Paliaet ss , . “ee CB fo N“W speifi
- Futio → iestigate atio that elates to a atte of adiistatio
- Disetio ot to iestigate → a delie to iestigate a oplait s , A
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- Coplaits → a e ade oall o i itig s . No fee to ake a oplait
- Iuities → ot opellale to poide ifoatio o douets i othe
poeedigs s , ad a peso ho oplais to the oudsa i good
faith is poteted agaist iil poeedigs s
- Poes ad poedue → iestigatios oduted ifoall ad a of
peliia euiies s A. “ae poes of a oal oissio to euie the
attedae ad eaiatio of itesses, to ete peises, to adiiste oaths
ad to euie douets to e podued ss , , . Iestigatios oduted
i piate s . Ifoatio ot eleased uless the Oudsa deteies it is
i the puli iteest to do so s A
➢ N“W Oudsa a appl to the “upee Cout fo a ijutio to
estai the odut of a authoit pedig the opletio of a
iestigatio s C
- Juisditio – puli seto → depatets of the puli seie ad to ost
eeutie ad statuto authoities that hae ee ostituted fo a puli
pupose s
➢ Juisditio of state oudsa eteds to loal authoities ad polie
i N“W
➢ Cooealth oudsa has juisditio oe Austalia Fedeal
Polie, eept as to ouptio allegatios
- Juisditio – piate seto → Cooealth Oudsa eteds to the
atios of o-goeet odies that poide goods ad seies to the puli
ude a otat ith a goeet age ss B, BA
- Juisditioal liitatios → aot iestigate atio take a iiste, out o
tiual, o oeig the eploet of a peso i a puli seie s
➢ Eeptios: a iestigate oplaits oeig the uet o peious
seie of a ee of the Defee Foe s C
➢ “peifi elusio i eah state statute fo atio take a peso atig
as a legal adiso
- ‘epots → does ot hae deteiatie poe to alte a adiistatie
deisio, ad a ol epot to a age ad eoed that futhe atio
take plae ss , . The Oudsa a ol take a epot futhe giig it
to the Pie Miiste ad theeafte to the Paliaet ss ,
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Document Summary
Week 2: investigating government action: ombudsman & anti-corruption. The following websites may be useful: www. ombudsman. gov. au www. icac. nsw. gov. au. What is the ombudsman: ta(cid:396)ted i(cid:374) sweden, 1809, first english speaking country new zealand, 1962. Introduced part of the overhaul of the administrative law system after kerr and. Bland reports: nsw 1975, commonwealth 1976 ombudsman act 1976 (cth) "an office provided for by the constitution or by action of the legislature or parliament and headed by an independent, high-level public official, who is responsible to the legislature or. Parliament, who receives complaints from aggrieved persons against government agencies, officials and employees, or who acts on [his] own motion, and who has the power to investigate, recommend corrective action and issue reports. " How does the ombudsman promote access to justice? (cb 248: p(cid:396)o(cid:448)idi(cid:374)g a (cid:373)e(cid:272)ha(cid:374)is(cid:373) fo(cid:396) (cid:396)esol(cid:448)i(cid:374)g lo(cid:449) (cid:448)alue disputes, helpi(cid:374)g to o(cid:448)e(cid:396)(cid:272)o(cid:373)e po(cid:449)e(cid:396) i(cid:373)(cid:271)ala(cid:374)(cid:272)es, p(cid:396)o(cid:448)idi(cid:374)g a p(cid:396)o(cid:272)ess that is si(cid:373)ple to use, esol(cid:448)i(cid:374)g (cid:271)oth legal a(cid:374)d (cid:374)o(cid:374)-legal issues.
