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 the transparency of local government decision making
Date posted:This investigation surveyed all 79 Victorian councils and selected 12 for detailed focus. It found some councils were embracing innovations such as live-streaming of council meetings while others had moved to restrict public access to decision-making. The Ombudsman warned "secrecy breeds suspicion".
Tags:Investigation report Ombudsman enquiries: Resolving complaints informally
Date posted:This casebook includes 14 summaries of complaints able to be resolved promptly by the Ombudsman's office. These included a council telling a resident to pay $7,000 for a tree removal and a mother asking a prison to conduct a medical or psychiatric assessment of her son upon his arrival in prison.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the management of complex workers compensation claims and WorkSafe oversight
Date posted:WorkSafe agents were working the system to delay and deny seriously injured workers the financial compensation to which they were entitled, the Ombudsman found. She said the cases investigated were not "merely files ... they involved people's lives and the human cost should never be forgotten".
Tags:Investigation report Report on recommendations
Date posted:This report looks into the implementation of recommendations the Ombudsman made to organisations between April 2014-March 2016. Highlights: $4.33 million paid to former residents of Mentone Gardens, and a law change allowing Aboriginal people to retain proceeds of artwork created by them in prison.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into Casey Council's Special Charge Scheme for Market Lane
Date posted:Ratepayers were hit with extra interest charges after Casey Council increased the charges in a meeting that was closed to the public. The Ombudsman said the council's actions were wrong, unjust and unfair. She called on the council to refund ratepayers the extra charges.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the misuse of council resources
Date posted:This investigation found examples of Council staff using public resources for their own benefit. A council officer used a council fuel card to fill up his vehicle for two years. A contractor paved a council employee's mother's driveway. Councils must do more to prevent poor culture and behaviour.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into public transport fare evasion enforcement
Date posted:Finances were being prioritised ahead of fairness, the Ombudsman found. People without a valid ticket could either pay a $75 on-the-spot penalty or receive a $223 fine. This was unfair on people who could not afford to pay $75 on-the-spot. Meanwhile, the $75 penalty could not be challenged in court.
Tags:Investigation report Reporting and investigation of allegations of abuse in the disability sector. Phase 2 - incident reporting
Date posted:The Ombudsman found the system of incident reporting "failed at every level". She said the tick-box approach did not give victims a voice. It failed to consistently escalate issues to other people and agencies, including police. And it limited managers' capacity to ensure clients' wellbeing.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation of a protected disclosure complaint regarding allegations of improper conduct by councillors associated with political donations
Date posted:This investigation looked into allegations that Casey Councillors accepted donations from property developers in return for favourable planning decisions. The Ombudsman was not able to substantiate the allegations. Nevertheless, she called for reform of rules governing political donations.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the rehabilitation and reintegration of prisoners in Victoria
Date posted:An increase in prisoner numbers was reducing access to rehabilitation programs, the Ombudsman found. Building more prisons was not making Victoria safer. The Ombudsman said Victoria needs a whole-of-government approach to focus on the causes of crime rather than its consequences.
Tags:Investigation report Conflict of Interest by an Executive Officer in the Department of Education and Training
Date posted:A department executive was found to have negotiated and accepted a high level job and shareholdings in a company. At the same time, he was responsible for making funding decisions and investigating a Registered Training Organisation with a close connection to the company.
Tags:Investigation report Reporting and investigation of allegations of abuse in the disability sector. Phase 1 - the effectiveness of statutory oversight
Date posted:Many people with disability do not report abuse, for fear they will either not be believed, that nothing will happen or that they will suffer repercussions, the Ombudsman found. She called for a single independent oversight body for the disability sector.
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Find a list of all reports published prior to 2014.