Investigation reports
Read about issues we've investigated, and our recommendations. These reports can help other public organisations improve their performance.
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.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into allegations of improper conduct by officers at Goulburn Murray Water
Date posted:The former managing director of Goulburn Murray Water claimed reimbursement to which he was not entitled, for household furniture and alcohol. The former chair approved his claims. Goulburn Water Board and the Minister for Water accepted the Ombudsman's recommendations to fix governance issues.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation of three protected disclosure complaints regarding Bendigo South East College
Date posted:The former principal of Bendigo South East college abused his position by employing and promoting his wife and son and by facilitating benefits being channelled to companies owned by another son. The Department of Education's regional office failed to act on complaints about the principal's conduct.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation of allegations referred by Parliament’s Legal and Social Issues Committee, arising from its inquiry into youth justice centres in Victoria
Date posted:A parliamentary committee asked the Ombudsman to investigate allegations made by a former principal of Parkville College. The principal alleged senior Department of Education staff had tried to influence evidence he was to give in court. The Ombudsman found the allegations were 'not substantiated'.
Tags:Investigation report Complaints to the Ombudsman: resolving them early
Date posted:This casebook includes 13 summaries of real-life complaints that were able to be resolved promptly by the Ombudsman's office. These include unfair fines being withdrawn and overpaid council rates being refunded.
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