Ombudsman's Quarterly Update | October 2023

My tenth and last annual report has just been tabled in Parliament, documenting yet another productive year for the office – from the enquiries and investigation we continue to carry out each day to the new functions we are now embedding, such as conciliation and complaints reviews. It reports on several ‘firsts’ – including the first ever joint ever investigation between an Ombudsman and anti-corruption commission, which IBAC and I have recently followed up – described further below.

And while I am in my tenth year as Ombudsman the Office itself turns 50 this month. Fifty years of dealing with complaints about government action or inaction, fifty years of investigations, fifty years of holding governments of all stripes to account. To mark the occasion we will soon be tabling a history of the Office, a reflection of the occupants of the role and their achievements. As its fifth incumbent, I will table this report in the knowledge that I do so not only on behalf of my predecessors, but also the hundreds of Ombudsman staff over the years who helped build the office’s reputation for integrity and fairness.

Much has changed in the past 50 years, and much more will no doubt change in the next 50. While this responsibility will fall to others, I hope the fundamental importance of the Office remains undiminished.

Deborah Glass

Victorian Ombudsman