I rise today to speak to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee’s oversight report on the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman. As part of this process the committee reviewed the Queensland Ombudsman’s annual report 2023-24 and conducted a public hearing with senior staff from the office of the Queensland Ombudsman on 19 February 2025. The Ombudsman office recently marked its 50th anniversary, and I congratulate it for its hard work on behalf of Queenslanders.
The Queensland Ombudsman is responsible for investigating complaints against government
agencies, improving the quality of decision-making in government agencies, reviewing the management of public interest disclosure and promoting the humane treatment of detainees. Its powers relating to the treatment of detainees took effect on 1 July 2023 with the appointment of the Ombudsman to the role of Inspector of Detention Services.
Within the previous financial year the office received 11,479 contacts, with 6,295 of these being
complaints. Of these complaints, 6,287 were finalised, with the average time for preliminary assessment being 7.8 days, which is well within the office’s target of 10 days. The office also finalised 1,049 investigations, referred 1,047 complaints for investigation and, on the Ombudsman’s initiative, initiated two investigations.
The office took an average of 57.5 days to close an investigation. As a result of these
investigations, the office made 178 recommendations to improve public administration of which 177 were accepted. I commend the office’s commitment to making its services more accessible to Queenslanders through the use of easy-read documents, provision of Auslan interpretation, use of the National Relay Service and community involvement in education.
The Ombudsman also saw several key achievements as part of the Ombudsman’s function of
Inspector of Detention Services. As at 30 June 2024 the Detention Services Inspection Unit employed 14 full-time-equivalent employees. During the reporting period, seven inspections were conducted. Reports into these inspections are still being prepared. These inspections covered Queensland’s three youth detention centres, three prisons and two watch houses. During the reporting period, 35 per cent of clients were satisfied or very satisfied with the performance of the office while 55 per cent were neutral, satisfied or very satisfied. The office received 153 requests for reviews of its internal decisions— a decrease from the previous year—and finalised 148 review requests.
On 19 February last year the committee held a public hearing with the Ombudsman. During the
hearing the Ombudsman explained how its complaints jurisdiction had changed. In September 2024, section 12A of the Ombudsman Act commenced. That expanded the jurisdiction to cover government services provided by non-government entities. The establishment of a federal National Student Ombudsman has also resulted in some complaints regarding public universities being transferred to this office instead of the Queensland Ombudsman.
During this hearing the Ombudsman also advised that the expenditure of the office remained within its budget. I commend the office for this. The Ombudsman also stated that it anticipated to remain within the budget for both 2024-25 and 2025-26 and, because of this, it did not submit a proposal for additional funding. I commend the Queensland Ombudsman for its continued diligence, transparency and service to the people of Queensland. Over the past year the office has demonstrated a strong commitment to accountability in public administration.
