Australian Ombudsmen: Drafting a Blueprint for Reform
- Publisher:
- Thomson Reuters (Professional)
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Australian Journal of Administrative Law, 2017, 24 pp. 43 - 63
- Issue Date:
- 2017-02-22
Open Access
Copyright Clearance Process
- Recently Added
- In Progress
- Open Access
This item is open access.
The ombudsman institution was introduced across all Australian jurisdictions from the 1970s as a central piece of administrative law reform. The original role of the office was to scrutinise administrative decision making and to promote government accountability through the resolution of citizen complaints. However, since the 1970s all Australian governments have undergone significant change. Government has expanded involvement into areas such as whistle blower and disability protection and human rights. Government also increasingly outsources decision-making to private companies, leading to the introduction of private industry ombudsmen and the removal of control from the purview of administrative law transparency mechanisms. This article argues that this transformation necessitates discussion as to reform of the ombudsman institution and suggests a new blueprint for such reform
Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: