Councils called to heel over ‘bureaucratic nightmare’

The ombudsman says a bungled building approval highlights the need for good complaints handling processes.

19 November, 2023

Ombudsman releases casebook of bad behaviour in public sector

A new report from the Victorian Ombudsman’s Office provides case studies of how people in public roles shouldn’t behave.

9 August, 2023

Councils told to fix contractor complaints policies

An Ombudsman’s report has highlighted problems in the way councils handle complaints about contractors.

26 April, 2023

Branch stacking probe uncovers ‘catalogue of unethical behaviour’

Victoria’s leading public sector corruption and accountability organisations have called for a Parliamentary Integrity Commissioner.

21 July, 2022

Politicisation of Victorian public service to be investigated

The Victorian Ombudsman is seeking submissions on the politicisation of public sector appointments.

16 May, 2022

1,000 complaints about Vic public housing in 12 months

The Victorian Ombudsman has launched an investigation into public and community housing complaint handling.

2 February, 2022

Vic integrity agencies seek reform on misuse of public resources

Victoria’s integrity watchdogs have written to the leaders of all political parties urging action to prevent the misuse of public funds.

20 December, 2021

Ombudsman to investigate health dept decisions on COVID-19 travel permits

The Victorian Ombudsman will investigate decisions about COVID-19 related travel permits.

16 September, 2021

Navigating human rights in a pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic has forced governments to juggle human rights and public health as never before.

4 August, 2021

Contractor duped council out of $1.6m

A Victorian council was duped by an IT contractor who directed $1.6 million of council money into his own companies.

9 June, 2021

Councils ‘worse than banks’ in dealing with hardship

Councils are worse than banks when it comes to financial hardship, a report says.

20 May, 2021

Council financial hardship schemes under scrutiny

Victoria’s Ombudsman is investigating how councils are helping cash-strapped ratepayers.

2 December, 2020

Ombudsman finds misuse of council credit cards

There was an impression that ‘snouts were in the trough’ at Warrnambool Council, a report says.

12 October, 2020

Nepotism complaints at Vic schools

Victoria’s Ombudsman is concerned about a string of complaints about nepotism in state schools.

21 May, 2020