Investigation reports
Read about issues we've investigated, and our recommendations. These reports can help other public organisations improve their performance.
Investigation report Investigation into three councils' outsourcing of parking fine internal reviews
Date posted:This investigation looks into Glen Eira, Port Phillip and Stonnington's use of a contractor to decide on parking fine appeals. We concluded that the councils acted 'contrary to law'. They failed to show transparency and accountability.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation of matters referred from the Legislative Assembly on 8 August 2018
Date posted:The Ombudsman looked into whether 40 current and former Liberal MPs knew - or could reasonably have known - of invoice fraud committed by a former Liberal State Director. She cleared the MPs of any wrongdoing. She called on Parliament to change the rules so MPs no longer certify their own expenses.
Tags:Investigation report WorkSafe2: Follow-up investigation into the management of complex workers compensation claims
Date posted:This 18 month investigation looked into the treatment of long term injured workers. The Ombudsman found the system was failing to deliver just outcomes for many people, with some decisions "immoral and unethical". She recommended wholesale change to restore fairness for long term injured workers.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into improper conduct by a Council employee at the Mildura Cemetery Trust
Date posted:A former Council employee at Mildura Cemetery Trust misused his position for personal benefit and made careless mistakes that distressed grieving families. Among his misdeeds, he undertook potentially illegal exhumations and took money from families for memorial chairs made by his relative.
Tags:Investigation report Revisiting councils and complaints
Date posted:How do Victorian councils deal with complaints? This enquiry found many councils are understating the amount of complaints they get because they have a narrow definition of 'complaint'. The Ombudsman said councils which understate the level of public dissatisfaction may be failing to deal with it.
Tags:Investigation report OPCAT in Victoria: A thematic investigation of practices related to solitary confinement of children and young people
Date posted:Children and young people in Victorian prisons and youth justice systems are being damaged through excessive use of isolation and separation. The practices are incompatible with local and international human rights laws.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into Wellington Shire Council's handling of Ninety Mile Beach subdivisions
Date posted:This investigation looked into a 65-year saga. In the 1950s, a developer lured people to buy land along Gippsland's Ninety Mile Beach. Much of the land cannot be developed. The Ombudsman recommended several measures incl. the refund of rates and waste charges and the compulsory acquisition of land.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into State Trustees
Date posted:This investigation found State Trustees had failed some of the most vulnerable people in Victoria. It failed to ensure client's bills, expenses and aged care bonds were paid on time; reduced clients' quality of life; and neglected to consult clients regarding their wishes.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation of a complaint about Ambulance Victoria
Date posted:This investigation was sparked by a complaint from a man who received a $519 invoice for 'treatment without transport'. Ambulance Victoria agreed to stop charging this fee when an ambulance is called by a third party, without the patient's knowledge.
Tags:Investigation report Fines Victoria complaints
Date posted:People had their licences wrongly suspended or were treated as if they were liable for fines when they had committed no offence, due to Fines Victoria's errors and delays. The Ombudsman said her office had been inundated with complaints about the new fines body since it was established in 2017.
Tags:Investigation report VicRoads complaints
Date posted:Victorians made more than 800 complaints about VicRoads to the Ombudsman last financial year. Many of the issues had serious financial, practical and emotional impacts. VicRoads accepted the Ombudsman's recommendations for improvement.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the imprisonment of a woman found unfit to stand trial
Date posted:The imprisonment of a 39 year old Victorian woman with a significant developmental delay breached Victoria's human rights laws. The Ombudsman said the government must fund secure therapeutic alternatives to prison for people found unfit to stand trial.
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Find a list of all reports published prior to 2014.