Casebook 2025: helping public sector agencies to improve decision-making released

The Queensland Ombudsman’s report, Casebook 2025: Helping agencies to improve decision-making, was published under the authority of the Honourable Pat Weir MP, Speaker of the Queensland Parliament on 30 April 2025.This is the fifth issue of our annual casebook series that provides real-life examples of complaints this Office has investigated, including the outcomes. It also provides further insights for the agency involved to consider improving their procedures and processes.  

The casebook includes 20 investigation case studies ranging from local councils to statutory authorities.


The Queensland Ombudsman, Mr Anthony Reilly said these case studies show the breadth of complaints and outcomes we achieve for Queenslanders every year. 


“The 2025 casebook covers issues such as asbestos incidents, fire hazards, dog attacks, electrical safety, workers compensation, patient travel subsidies, human rights and climate energy saving rebates.


“Our hope is that by publishing these case studies, we will help inform the community about our work and what we can do for the community.


“It is also a resource to support learning and for building knowledge in government agencies, local councils and public authorities.” 


To find out more about good practice in decision-making, administrative processes and complaints handling, please consider our suite of ‘Good decisions’ resources:

• video – a short, animated overview of good decision-making for use in staff inductions and training
• checklist – a prompt for officers to print and keep at their workstation
• newsletters – Perspectives, a quarterly subscription newsletter
• resource – a valuable reference with detailed explanations of the stages of decision-making. 

About the Ombudsman

The Queensland Ombudsman is an independent officer of the Parliament.

The Ombudsman ensures public agencies make fair and balanced decisions for Queenslanders by investigating complaints and conducting own-initiative investigations that tackle broader, systemic concerns.

The Ombudsman can investigate complaints about state government departments, local councils and public authorities. Sometimes agencies use non-government entities to deliver services to the community. We can also investigate those entities.

The Ombudsman can make recommendations to rectify unfair or unjust decisions and improve administrative practice.

Read the casebook