Annual Report highlights achievements

2016-17 Annual Report (PDF 6.4MB)

Tabled in the Queensland Parliament on 29 September 2017, the Queensland Ombudsman Annual Report 2016-17 highlights the achievements of the Office in our dual roles under the Ombudsman Act 2001: administrative investigation and administrative improvement.

Key outcomes in relation to complaint receipt, assessment and investigation included:

• responded to 10,954 Queenslanders seeking advice, assistance or resolution of their complaint (although 3,386 matters were outside our jurisdiction we provided advice and referral to another appropriate complaint body where possible)
• finalised 6,958 complaints (of which 69% were dealt with in 10 days or less and 93% were closed within 30 days)
• completed 1,407 investigations (a 26% increase on the previous year)
• negotiated total or partial rectification of an issue in 232 investigations (up from 209 the previous year)
• made 306 investigation recommendations to agencies, of which 100% had been accepted by 30 June 2017.

The Office released five public reports, all the result of investigations concerning significant matters of public administration. The reports dealt with the investigation of:

• administration of the Patient Travel Subsidy Scheme by Queensland Health
• an unreasonable threat of legal action against residents by Redland City Council
• action by Toowoomba Regional Council to name a homeowner on an auction notice when selling their property for unpaid rates
• child safety complaints management processes within the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services
• the response by Brisbane Women’s Correctional Centre to overcrowding.

A major focus is administrative improvement activities – engaging with agencies to support them in improving administrative practices.  In 2016-17, 105 training sessions were delivered to 1,591 public sector officers (of which 42 sessions were delivered in regional Queensland).  Training encompassed sessions on good decision-making, complaints management, managing unreasonable conduct and ethics in the public sector.  We also reached more subscribers to our regular newsletters geared to key stakeholder groups, such as Legal Perspective, with a 2% increase in total subscriptions.

The annual report on the operations of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 as required under s.61 of the Act is also included in the Annual Report.

Key highlights in the PID report include:

• A total of 798 PIDs reported to the oversight agency, which is a 38% increase compared to 2015-16
• An increase in all but one of the types of disclosure, with the most significant increases reported in disclosures by public officers of danger to public health or safety and disclosures by members of the public about danger to the health or safety of a person with a disability
• 531 or 66.6% of PIDs were about corrupt conduct
• The majority of PIDs (427 or 56.3%) were reported by State government departments
• Over 85% of PIDs were made by an internal discloser