In the Wheatbelt, we teamed up with the Telecommunications Ombudsman on Thursday 5 March for the Ombudsman Small Business Forum hosted by the Narrogin Chamber of Commerce. As part of the Chamber Connect series, the event was an opportunity for small businesses to understand when they can contact an ombudsman, what issues we can help resolve, clarity on how the complaints process works.

The Wagin Woolorama on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 March, our state’s largest agricultural show outside the metropolitan area, was a key opportunity for our staff to speak with local residents in the heart of the Wheatbelt.

We were in Kununurra 9-10 March to reconnect with stakeholders following our visit last year. Principal Assistant Ombudsman Complaint Resolution Brianna Lonnie spoke at the International Women’s Day breakfast hosted by the East Kimberley Chamber of Commerce.

Later in the month, we visited the South West. On 19 March we engaged with local community at an information session at the Gnowangerup Community Resource Centre. It was also an opportunity to talk with community groups about the Charitable Trusts Commission. We then held a stall at the Katanning Harmony Day festival on Friday 20 March, a significant multicultural event in one of the towns with the highest migrant work force.

In the Metro area we joined the team at the Health and Disabilities Service Complaints Office at the Belmont Harmony Day on Saturday 21 March. The very busy day of festivities drew a big crowd who took away bags of information and resources.

These were wonderful celebrations and opportunities bringing together the rich cultural diversity of our community, and an opportunity for our staff to chat with local residents and organisations about our services.