"A resident applied for a subdivision clearance from their local government but didn’t receive a decision within a reasonable timeframe. Frustrated by the delay and lack of explanation, they complained to the Ombudsman. They told us the delay had caused financial hardship and stress.
We reached out to the local government, which advised it was still preparing a response to the resident’s complaint. When the expected response date passed and the resident still hadn’t heard back, we followed up again.
As a result of our involvement, the local government apologised to the resident for the delay, explained its subdivision clearance process, and trialled a new officer role focused on supporting applicants after subdivision approval to ensure faster processing of subdivision clearances."