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 child sex offender Robert Whitehead's involvement with Puffing Billy and other railway bodies
Date posted:The Ombudsman found people in positions of power at Puffing Billy and other Victorian railway groups protected the reputation of their organisations at the expense of children who were sexually abused. She recommended the victims receive a public apology. The government formally apologised in 2019.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the administration of the Fairness Fund for taxi and hire car licence holders
Date posted:This investigation found taxi and hire care licence holders were given the "bureaucratic runaround" when seeking payments from the Fairness Fund. The Ombudsman said much better planning and communication, including managing expectations, would have avoided many of the complaints.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into Maribyrnong City Council's internal review practices for disability parking infringements
Date posted:Maribyrnong Council treated disadvantaged people harshly by refusing to cancel parking fines in cases where exceptional circumstances applied. The Ombudsman found the council's practices were lacking in fairness and discretion when compared with five other metro councils.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into Wodonga City Council’s overcharging of a waste management levy
Date posted:This investigation found Wodonga Council collected at least $18 million in extra revenue from its waste management levy over the previous decade. The surplus was used to fund other council services. The Ombudsman said the council's practice undermined the public's trust in how their money was spent.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation of a matter referred from the Legislative Council on 25 November 2015
Date posted:The Ombudsman found 21 Labor MPs breached Parliament's Members' Guide by certifying payments to electorate officers used for party political campaigning. This occurred in the lead up to the 2014 State Election. The Labor party agreed to pay back the public funds that had been misused.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the financial support provided to kinship carers
Date posted:Kinship carers were not receiving the financial support to which they were entitled, the Ombudsman found. Members of a child's family or social group who took in a child were receiving far less support than foster carers. As a result of the investigation, more than $170,000 was back-paid to carers.
Tags:Investigation report Implementing OPCAT in Victoria - report and inspection of Dame Phyllis Frost Centre
Date posted:Female prisoners in Victoria's main women's prison were being routinely strip searched, the Ombudsman found. She described the practice as "humiliating, degrading and undignified". She was also concerned about a high incidence of force and restraint being used at the prison.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the management of maintenance claims against public housing tenants
Date posted:This investigation found disadvantaged Victorians were being charged thousands of dollars for the repair of damaged public housing, even when there was no evidence they had caused the damage. The department accepted all 18 of the Ombudsman's recommendations for improvement.
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into the management and protection of disability group home residents by the Department of Health and Human Services and Autism Plus
Date posted:Vulnerable people were put at risk when provider Autism Plus and DHHS failed to move a group home resident who was accused of sexually assaulting his housemates. The Ombudsman said the events raised serious concerns about Autism Plus's suitability to provide programs and care for DHHS clients.
Tags:Investigation report Enquiry into the provision of alcohol and drug rehabilitation services following contact with the criminal justice system
Date posted:This enquiry confirmed that access to rehabilitation services remains the dominant concern for prisoners and former prisoners struggling with addiction. The problem is of particular concern in rural and regional Victoria, where there was also a lack of access to secure and affordable housing,
Tags:Investigation report Investigation into Victorian government school expulsions
Date posted:A disproportionate number of children expelled from Victorian public schools have a disability, are in out of home care or identify as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander, the Ombudsman found. She called for additional resources for principals to support children with challenging behaviours.
Tags:Investigation report Report into allegations of conflict of interest of an officer at the Metropolitan Fire and Emergency Services Board
Date posted:This investigation found an MFB manager hired her son, after falsifying his CV and after he changed his name to conceal the relationship, She then hired her second son, also falsifying his CV and after he too changed his name. The public paid more than $400,000 for the services of her two sons.
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Looking for reports published prior to 2014?
Find a list of all reports published prior to 2014.