Premium Insights and analysis Public service can be complex but integrity and community engagement will guide the way Tuesday May 24, 2022 By Melissa Coade Community & Social Every top bureaucrat will need to find the right balance in their work when delivering a government agenda. It's a messy and challenging tension.
Message for public servants itching to get politically engaged Friday May 20, 2022 By Melissa Coade Community & Social With one more day of the federal election campaign to go, senior mandarins underscored how public sector staff can stay impartial but still add their…
Reforms needed for misuse of public resources, Vic integrity agencies say Tuesday January 11, 2022 By Melissa Coade Community & Social The Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) and the Victorian Ombud are pushing for changes to improve parliamentary accountability in the state.
Victorian watchdog finds border permit system was ‘inhumane’ Wednesday December 8, 2021 By Jackson Graham News Victoria’s border permit system was 'unjust, even inhumane', according to the state’s watchdog, who received hundreds of complaints.
Premium Columnists Third time’s the charm as Victoria’s Pandemic Management Bill passes Monday December 6, 2021 By Binoy Kampmark Editors' Picks The third iteration of Victoria's Pandemic Management Bill has general support of relevant NGOs and the ombud, but some wariness remains.
Pandemic legislation amended but watchdog remains unsatisfied Tuesday November 16, 2021 By Jackson Graham Health Victorian ombud Deborah Glass said she remains unsatisfied the proposed laws contain enough independent oversight. …
Premium Insights and analysis The problem with being in public administration during a pandemic Wednesday November 3, 2021 By Melissa Coade Editors' Picks Government agencies have risen to the occasion of the COVID-19 pandemic, but the response to managing its spread has not been without hiccups.
Woman forced to urinate in bottle on way to hotel quarantine, Victorian ombud reveals Thursday August 5, 2021 By Shannon Jenkins News Victorian ombud Deborah Glass has revealed details of some of the thousands of human rights complaints she has dealt with in recent years.
Vic ombud warns councils against ‘heady whiff of favouritism’ in latest scathing report Thursday May 14, 2020 By Shannon Jenkins News Victorian ombud Deborah Glass has urged council workers to think about how their actions can damage their organisation’s reputation, after she found two senior council…
Victorian councils set to refund millions in parking fines over use of private contractors Wednesday February 26, 2020 By Shannon Jenkins News Three Victorian councils could end up refunding more than $19 million in parking fines following an investigation by the state ombud.
Vic ombudsperson unearths decades of misconduct in gravedigger case Monday November 25, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins News A former council employee at the Mildura Cemetery Trust who performed dodgy exhumations and sold his relative's chairs to grieving families was “disrespectful of the…
A fine mess: flawed IT system wreaking havoc for the Vic government Friday October 25, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins News Outstanding fines from more than 120,000 people could earn Victoria somewhere between $328 million and $700 million in revenue, if only it could access them.
Vic councils must accurately record complaints, even if they can be used against them, Ombudsman says Tuesday October 8, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins Community & Social The Victorian Ombudsman has told councils to stop downplaying the number of complaints they receive.
Vic Ombudsman calls out ‘oppressive’ isolation practices in youth justice centres Thursday September 5, 2019 By Shannon Jenkins News The solitary confinement of young Victorians in prisons and youth justice systems is “distressing” and “simply wrong”, according to the Victorian Ombudsman. Ombudsman Deborah Glass…
Wrongful fines and licence suspensions: Fines Victoria creating anxiety and frustration, says Ombudsman Thursday April 18, 2019 By David Donaldson News The problems at Victoria's new fine agency demonstrate the risks of operating without a fit-for-purpose IT system.
