Foreword
This guide is designed to assist Victorian public sector agencies in achieving standards of excellence in complaint handling.
The development of this guide is in keeping with my office's promotion of fairness, integrity, respect for human rights and administrative excellence in the Victorian public sector.
As Ombudsman I investigate complaints from over 600 public sector bodies including professional boards, municipal and shire councils, universities and government schools, prisons including private prisons, and authorised officers on public transport.
I also have a central role in handling disclosures of improper conduct made under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2001 and the oversight of requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 1982.
In 2008, with the requirement for all public sector agencies to comply with the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (the Charter), an increased function of my office will be to enquire into or investigate whether any administrative action is incompatible with a human right set out in the Charter.
There are a wide range of agencies handling a diversity of complaints that call for different mechanisms of complaint handling. Nevertheless, there are a number of common key features and requirements in dealing with complaints. It is my hope that this generic guide will be useful to the range of agencies under my jurisdiction for which complaint handling is an important aspect of their overall work.
I invite agencies to contact my office for further assistance in developing and enhancing their complaint handling systems.
G E Brouwer
Ombudsman
