What does the Ombudsman do?

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administrative Investigations – more commonly known as the Ombudsman:

• Protects People’s Rights: We give people a way to be heard when they’ve been treated unfairly.  We also oversee how government power is exercised.
• Improves Services: We can investigate how services are delivered and bring weaknesses to light. In doing so, we improve service delivery for all.
• Prevents Harm: We oversight child safety and identify opportunities to prevent certain deaths and child related harm.
• Supports Vulnerable Communities: We reach out to people who are often overlooked or disadvantaged, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are considered.

Key functions

Complaints

• We Investigate complaints about State Government departments and authorities, and local governments.
• We investigate complaints about charitable trusts.
• We investigate complaints about electricity, gas and water providers.

Child safety and harm prevention

• Administer the Reportable Conduct Scheme.
• Review child deaths.
• Review family and domestic violence fatalities.
• We will administer the Child Safe Standards, and have a team implementing that role.

Improve services

• Undertake major investigations into serious or systemic issues.
• Provide guidance to public authorities to improve their practices.

Ensure compliance and protect people’s rights

• We have a role to monitor certain powers exercised by police and others, and inspect their records to check they follow the law.

Our team

We have approximately 90 staff across four operational branches and a corporate branch.

• Bevan Warner, Ombudsman
• David Robinson, Deputy Ombudsman
• Brianna Lonnie, Principal Assistant Ombudsman Complaint Resolution
• Alison Cameron, Principal Assistant Ombudsman Child & Family Safety
• Marcus Claridge, Principal Assistant Energy and Water Ombudsman
• Sharon Basini, Executive Director Corporate Development

Our Strategy 2026-2029

Our Purpose

To provide fair and independent oversight that helps people be heard, improves services and promotes the safety of vulnerable people.

We Value:

Integrity

Integrity defines who we are when it matters most. We act independently, stand by our decisions and hold ourselves and each other to account.

Service

We are here to serve the community, balancing individual needs with our broader public responsibility.

Excellence

We hold ourselves to a high standard so our work is rigorous, thoughtful and worthy of public trust.

Progress

We challenge outdated practices, share better ways of working and adapt our systems so we can deliver better services over time.

Our Goals

• Connected Services: We are accessible and connected, with culturally safe services that make a difference
• Insights for Change: Our oversight keeps children and families safe and results in better and fairer public services
• Strengthen our Standing: We are widely known, trusted and called upon when needed
• Safe, Supported and Empowered: We are vibrant and cohesive with our people feeling safe, supported and empowered
• Operational Excellence: Our people are equipped to excel in ways that makes their jobs easier and more fulfilling

History of the Ombudsman

The word 'ombudsman' comes from Sweden which in 1809 established the position of Justlieombudsman to oversee government administration. The title loosely translates as 'citizen's defender' or 'representative of the people'.

Since 1809, an “ombudsman” has been used in many parts of the world, in both government and private industry settings. The role has changed a lot and now an ombudsman does not generally act on behalf of people in the way that an advocate or lawyer would do. An Ombudsman acts in an impartial and independent way.

The office of the Ombudsman in Western Australia has a very proud history. Western Australia had the first Ombudsman in Australia, in 1972. All the other States and Territories and the Commonwealth followed Western Australia's lead.

The Ombudsman's formal title is “Parliamentary Commissioner for Administrative Investigations”.

The late Hon. John Tonkin (Premier 1971–74) was the architect of the law to establish the Ombudsman. He proposed the appointment of a State Ombudsman as early as 1963 when he was Leader of the Opposition. Soon after he became Premier in 1971, he introduced the law to create an ombudsman.

The law that creates the Ombudsman in Western Australia is the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1971.