The role of the Ombudsman

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

• Protects People’s Rights: we give people a way to ensure they are heard when they feel they’ve been treated unfairly.
• Improves Services and Build Trust in Government: we can investigate how services are delivered and bring weaknesses to the attention of decision-makers. In doing so, we improve service delivery for all Western Australians. 
• Prevents Harm: through death reviews, investigations and oversight of how organisations respond to allegations of child related harm, we identify opportunities to prevent deaths and strengthen the safety net around children.
• Supports Vulnerable Communities: we can focus on people who are often overlooked or disadvantaged, ensuring their voices are heard and their needs are considered.

Protecting people’s rights

People have a right to complain about poor service delivery by Western Australian government agencies, local governments and universities (public authorities). We ensure that people’s complaints are heard and, where there has been a mistake or poor service, the problem is fixed. 

In 2024-25, we received 14,506 contacts, comprising 11,641 enquiries and 2,865 written complaints. Of the written complaints within our remit, 72% were about Western Australian government agencies, 23% were about local governments, and 5% were about universities.

We achieved 241 remedies for people who made complaints, such as decisions being reconsidered or reversed, apologies and explanations, and financial remedies.

As the Energy and Water Ombudsman, we received 1,604 complaints and 132 enquiries about electricity, gas and water services. 

We achieved 111 remedies through our investigation and resolution of complaints.

We are also the Western Australian Charitable Trusts Commission, and we receive and investigate complaints about charitable trusts. In 2024-25, we received three complaints about charitable trusts.

We also have functions to monitor the use of certain powers relating to telecommunications interceptions, consorting laws, and public entertainment precinct bans. This oversight is aimed at ensuring these significant powers that impact on people’s rights are used lawfully and appropriately.

Improving services

Through all our work, we look for ways that administrative practices and procedures can be improved. This includes changing policies and procedures, training staff or amending a business system.

In 2024-25, our investigations of complaints led to 51 improvements to administration. Our reviews of certain deaths lead to six formal recommendations to improve policies, procedures or other systems. 

We improved child safety in organisations working with children, with 238 improvements made and a report ‘Western Australia’s Reportable Conduct Scheme: A review of systems to protect children’.

Preventing harm

We review child deaths and family and domestic violence (FDV) fatalities to improve public safety and prevent future harm. We also administer the Reportable Conduct Scheme.

In 2024-25, we received 161 child death notifications and 14 FDV fatality notifications. Our reviews of these deaths looked for ways that public authorities could prevent or reduce the likelihood of similar deaths occurring in the future.

We also received 877 notifications of reportable conduct. These are allegations of child related harm made against the employees in organisations working with children, reported to the Ombudsman by the employer. We oversee and monitor how the organisations are responding to the allegations and ensuring child safety. 

Supporting vulnerable communities

The Ombudsman is there for all Western Australians; however, vulnerable communities are often disproportionally represented in our work. 

We handle complaints from people interacting with the justice system, police, public housing, and child protection. We are notified of child abuse (reportable conduct) and deaths of children or people in circumstances of FDV. In this work, children and young people, Aboriginal people, people with disability and those living in regional and remote areas are particularly affected.

We have a range of strategies to engage with the community with a strong focus on vulnerable people.

In 2024-25, we participated in a range of events across the metropolitan Perth area. We also continued our regional visit program, which included visits to regional areas in collaboration with other complaint handling and consumer rights organisations.  

16,244 contacts from people with complaints and enquiries

775 investigations finalised

• 24% increase in complaints about public authorities
• 24% increase in energy and water investigations

352 remedies achieved for complainants

93% of allegations were finalised within 3 months

Improving services

6 recommendations to improve public administration through child death and FDV fatality reviews

51 improvements to public administration through complaint resolution

238 improvement actions by organisations covered by the Reportable Conduct Scheme

We published a systemic review ‘Western Australia’s Reportable Conduct Scheme: A review of systems to protect children’

Preventing harm

877 notifications of child related harm in organisations (reportable conduct) and responded to 497 enquiries from organisations

53 events to educate organisations covered by the Reportable Conduct Scheme

161 child death notifications received and 61 progressed to review

14 FDV fatality notifications received and 12 progressed to review

Supporting vulnerable communities

10 community events and presentations across the metropolitan area

9 regional towns visited

• Kalgoorlie and Kambalda in the Goldfields 
• Albany, Denmark and Katanning in the Great Southern 
• Wagin in the Wheatbelt 
• Busselton in the South West
• Newman and Jigalong in the Pilbara