Good Better Best - Ombudsman€¦ · Good > Better > Best – Changes in public integrity | National conference 2009 3 The broader lesson from this report is that minor and trifling

Good > Better > Best Changes in public integrity

National conference program23–24 September 2009 | Hotel Realm | 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT

2 Good > Better > Best – Changes in public integrity | National conference 2009

Complaint trends

Australian public sector and industry Ombudsman offices receive more than 400 000 complaints and approaches each year, and this number is rising.

In the core function of complaint handling, there has been an average increase in complaints and approaches of around 15 per cent in the past year. Complaints to some industry offices, such as the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and the Energy and Water Ombudsman, have increased by more than 50 per cent.

A far greater number of complaints are made directly to agencies. For example, the Australian Taxation Office received more than 23 000 complaints last year, Centrelink 53 000 and Australia Post nearly 440 000.

Complaint figures on individual topics convey the same picture. For example, the decision of the Australian Government in late 2008 to make a bonus payment to four million Australians generated 156 complaints to my office in a four-month period, about 6 840 requests for review to Centrelink over six months, and thousands more to the Tax Office.

The factors at work

Why is complaint handling such big business? And why has it become steadily more important?

Three causes seem to be at work. The first is the seasonal and episodic events that give rise to individual complaints, such as the straightened economic times. But those episodic factors, while important, do not explain the steady annual increase in complaints. Deeper causes are at work.

The second complaint stimulus is the increased interaction that people now have with government and big business. On issues as diverse as travel, taxation, financial support, family arrangements, home extensions, medical insurance, banking, phone usage and energy supply, people are in regular contact with government agencies and businesses to obtain a permission, install a service, receive a benefit, pay a charge, query a penalty or vary an existing contract or arrangement. More rules are being applied, and the rules are more complex to match the diversity in people’s lifestyles and working, family and financial arrangements. That complexity means that things can go wrong and complaints can arise.

The third cause is that community expectations have changed. People are less tolerant of mistakes and blunders in decision making and service delivery. We are an educated society and we expect systems to operate smoothly, predictably and competently. The community places a high store on the organisational values of accountability, transparency and integrity. We understand that we have a right to complain if we are dissatisfied or when things go wrong. Technology has also made it easy to complain, and to do so instantly.

Complaints provide a valuable insight into emerging issues…

Complaints are a fact of life. Problems, some avoidable others unexpected, occur in all programs and systems, no matter how well designed and efficient.

Complaints can also provide valuable information about program weaknesses and service delivery faults. Agency administration can be strengthened by regular analysis of complaint issues and trends.

Several recent Commonwealth Ombudsman reports also illustrate the changing landscape in complaint investigation.

Mail redirection

Over the years, my office has investigated many serious allegations that government agencies have wrongly arrested and detained people, deprived them of financial support, damaged personal property, and imposed hefty penalties. Reports on such issues often attract considerable publicity.

Interestingly, a report that recently attracted significant media interest was about Australia Post’s mail redirection service. The service is the subject of many complaints, often stemming from simple mistakes and human oversight by postal sorting or delivery officers.

There was a high degree of public and media interest in this report because it dealt with a problem to which many people related. They understood that a mail redirection problem could lead to a payment notice going astray, personal mail falling into the wrong hands, or a valuable item being lost.

Complaints – and what they teach us

Professor John McMillan Commonwealth Ombudsman

Good > Better > Best – Changes in public integrity | National conference 2009 3

The broader lesson from this report is that minor and trifling administrative errors can cause considerable inconvenience and possible damage to individuals. Often, too, the damage cannot be reversed. For example, a postal delivery failure may mean that a person is not informed of a motor traffic penalty or a time-limited share purchase option.

The same lesson, repeated in many other complaints handled by my office, is that administrative errors as simple as misspelling someone’s name, misstating their date of birth, or misfiling an application, can result in the person being wrongly detained, incurring a penalty, losing or being denied a benefit, or having legal proceedings initiated against them.

Administrative compensation

The Scheme for Compensation for Detriment caused by Defective Administration, or CDDA, allows a government agency, on a discretionary basis, to compensate individuals or groups who have suffered loss as a result of poor administration. Each year, thousands of people are compensated for faults such as incorrect advice, lost documents, damaged property or costly delay.

A recent Ombudsman report on the scheme lauded its importance, though concluded that it could be better known and better administered. Particular problems are unhelpful legalism by agencies, a compensation minimisation approach, unsupportive conduct by agencies, delay in deciding claims, and poorly reasoned decisions.

The report illustrates a broader theme, about the importance of devising suitable remedies to assist and compensate members of the public who suffer disadvantage as a consequence of poor administrative practice. Traditional administrative law remedies—to quash an erroneous decision, substitute a fresh decision, restrain unlawful conduct, or declare the law—can be ill-adapted to assist a person who is caught by an unintended anomaly in a legislative rule, who has fallen through the cracks of a government program, is confused about the advice received from an agency, or who is disadvantaged by an agency’s delay in addressing their complaint.

Small errors can cause great damage…

A trend in Ombudsman complaint handling is to promote a broader concept of remedy, to include an apology, financial compensation, proper explanation, reconsideration of agency action, and expediting agency action. One or other of these remedies was recommended by the Ombudsman’s office in 75 per cent of the complaints investigated in 2008-09.

A remedial issue to be discussed in a forthcoming Ombudsman issues paper is the need for safety net discretion powers to be written into legislation.

A common problem now in government is that legislation that is tightly written with rigid criteria and deadlines can exclude deserving cases and have unintended and unfair consequences. The issue was

raised also in a recent Treasury Discussion Paper, which queried whether the Commissioner of Taxation should have an ‘extra statutory concession’ power to alter taxation legislation to vary the way it applies to a taxpayer or class of taxpayers, so as to correct an anomaly or defect in the law.

Executive schemes

The executive schemes report dealt with a trend in government to distribute grants, benefits and compensation under schemes that are based in agency guidelines and policy statements, rather than in legislation. There is increasing use of executive schemes because of the speed with which they can be set up and their flexibility when circumstances change. They are widely used for purposes such as redundancy payments, emergency financial assistance, drought relief, health payments, LPG conversion, farming restructure, industry incentives and administrative compensation.

Problems highlighted in complaints to the Ombudsman are that grant applicants are not aware of unpublished closing dates; scheme rules are ambiguous and poorly drafted; rule changes are applied retrospectively to rejected applications; different versions of a scheme are applied inconsistently within an agency; and defective decisions cannot be independently reviewed and corrected.

The broader lesson from this report is that new problems and challenges are thrown up by changes to the structure and style of government. Complaints, once again, provide a valuable insight into emerging issues that may need to be addressed.

Conclusion

The responsibilities of government are broad, and the number of decisions and actions undertaken each year can be counted in the millions. Most decisions and actions are free of error and are made correctly.

Mistakes and errors do nevertheless occur. Small errors can cause great damage—on a scale that is disproportionate to the importance of the action that caused the damage, and for that reason not anticipated by a government official. It is wise to remember that at the end of every policy, program, or decision is a person who can be injured or discomforted by what government does.

Complaint handling is a valuable reminder of this lesson. The individual difficulties that people experience with government can provide a window to larger problems that need to be addressed. Dealing professionally with those problems must be at the heart of public service.

It is wise to remember that at the end of every policy, program, or decision is a person who can be injured or discomforted by what government does.


Conference program23–24 September 2009 | Hotel Realm | 18 National Circuit, Barton ACT

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

6.00 pm Registration and arrival drinks

Welcome

Professor John McMillan, Commonwealth Ombudsman

Keynote address

The Hon. John Clarke QC

Administrative, accountability, transparency and government agency interoperability—insights from the inquiry into the case of Dr Mohamed Haneef

7.00 pm Conference dinner

Thursday, 24 September 2009

8.30 am Tea and coffee

9.00 am Plenary session 1

What’s new in complaint handling?

Our panellists discuss recent developments in government and business administration and the challenges they present to handling, investigating and resolving complaints.

Speakers

• ProfessorJohnMcMillan,CommonwealthOmbudsman

• MrColinNeaveAM,ChiefOmbudsman,FinancialOmbudsmanService

• MrBruceCooper,GeneralManagerInformationResearchandAnalysisBranch, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission

Facilitator Professor John McMillan, Commonwealth Ombudsman

10.15 am Morning tea

10.45 am Concurrent sessions

Session A Minding your own business—policy challenges for decision-makers and strategies for managing risks in the complaint-handling process

Customer service and good administration are two prominent themes in complaint handling. This session looks at how public sector and industry ombudsmen address these challenges.

Speakers

• MrRonBrent,DeputyOmbudsman(Commonwealth)

• MsDeirdreO’Donnell,TelecommunicationsIndustryOmbudsman

• MsKateEadie,InvestigationsManager,TelecommunicationsIndustryOmbudsman

FacilitatorMsDianeMerryfull,SeniorAssistantOmbudsman(Commonwealth)


Session B What clients want—managing complainant expectations, delivering outcomes and measuring satisfaction

How are the expectations of complainants changing? How can agencies manage them? What works for complainants in terms of redress and remedies? How do we explain limits? And, finally, what can be done to measure satisfaction?

Speakers

• MrDavidSchomburgk,President,SocietyofConsumerAffairsProfessionals

• Ms Sheryl Lewin, General Manager, Network Performance Division, Centrelink

Facilitator MrGeorgeMasri,SeniorAssistantOmbudsman(Commonwealth)

11.45 am Plenary session 2

Generic systems—diverse communities

Are complaint handling mechanisms equally effective across diverse community groups? Our panellists discuss how external intervention meets the needs of clients; barriers to the effectiveness of complaint handling systems; and whether complaint mechanisms sufficiently defend community and individual rights.

Speakers

• ProfessorDuncanBentley,ProVice-Chancellor,CurtinUniversityofTechnology

• MsRhondaParker,AgedCareComplaintsCommissioner

• MsClareMartin,CEO,AustralianCouncilofSocialService

Facilitator DrVivienneThom,DeputyOmbudsman(Commonwealth)

12.45 pm Networking lunch

1.30 pm Concurrent sessions

Session C ‘Please hold while I transfer you...’

How do agencies determine who is responsible for complaint handling when the delivery of programs is either outsourced, the responsibility of more than one agency, or more than one level of government? Our speakers address the question from their oversight and coordination perspectives on government delivery of services to remote Indigenous communities.

Speakers

• MrBrianGleeson,Coordinator-GeneralforRemoteIndigenousServices

• MrGeorgeMasri,SeniorAssistantOmbudsman(Commonwealth)

FacilitatorMsGabrielleHurley,ActingSeniorAssistantOmbudsman(ACTandCommonwealth)

Session D Being difficult or experiencing difficulty?

Sometimes complaint management problems arise from the presentation of the complainant. This session includes a psychological perspective on the spectrum of complainant behaviours and management responses to unreasonable complaint behaviour.

Speakers

• DrGrantLester,ForensicPsychiatrist,ForensicareVictoria

• MrChrisWheeler,DeputyNSWOmbudsman

FacilitatorMrRonBrent,DeputyOmbudsman(Commonwealth)

Thursday,24September2009(continued)


2.30 pm Concurrent sessions

Session E Catching the hot potato

Government has various powers, means and approaches to get to the bottom of significant, highly complex, political or administrative mistakes. This session looks at the conduct of special inquiries. When should they be conducted? What powers should they have? Who should they be able to summons? What produces the best results for communities, governments and public administration?

Speaker

• MrMickPalmerAOAPM,InspectorofTransportSecurity

FacilitatorDrVivienneThom,DeputyOmbudsman(Commonwealth)

Session F Making rights real

‘You have the right to complain’ is a core message delivered by all best-practice complaint-handling agencies. With more than 400 languages spoken in Australia today, how can we engage diverse cultural audiences with our message and services? Which outreach methods work best with the most disadvantaged, disaffected and vulnerable members of our community, and how would we know?

Speakers

• MsKarenToohey,DirectorofComplaintHandling,AustralianHumanRights Commission

• MsYvonneMiles,EducationandTrainingManager,IndependentCommission Against Corruption

FacilitatorMsHelenFleming,SeniorAssistantOmbudsman(Commonwealth)

3.30 pm Afternoon tea

3.45 pm Plenary session 3

Openness in a secret world

Our closing session considers the competing interests of openness in government administration, the protection of privacy and national security considerations, and the impact those interests have on the ability of oversight bodies to investigate complaints, conduct inquiries and reveal problems in government administration. Topics for discussion include freedom of information reforms, protection of whistleblowers and national security implications.

Speakers

• MrMarkDreyfusQC,MP,Chair,HouseofRepresentativesLegalandConstitutional Affairs Committee

• MrIanCarnell,Inspector-GeneralofIntelligenceandSecurity

• MrBruceBarbour,NSWOmbudsman

FacilitatorProfessor John McMillan, Commonwealth Ombudsman

5.00 pm Closing remarks

Professor John McMillan, Commonwealth Ombudsman

Thursday,24September2009(continued)


Conference speakersMr Bruce Barbour

Mr Bruce Barbour was appointed NSW Ombudsman in June 2000. His background is in law with a particular specialty in administrative law.

Before being appointed NSW Ombudsman, Mr Barbour was a senior

member of the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal(AAT)fornineyearsandwasalsoamemberofthe Casino Control Authority.

Before being appointed to the bench of the AAT, Mr Barbour was director of the Licensing Division of theAustralianBroadcastingTribunal(nowtheAustralianBroadcastingAuthority).

Professor Duncan Bentley

Professor Duncan Bentley specialises in comparative international tax administration and taxpayers’ rights. HeisProVice-ChancelloroftheCurtin Business School and is an international speaker and consultant.

He sits on several boards and committees, including the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s International Legal Services Advisory Council.

Mr Ron Brent

Mr Ron Brent was appointed as Deputy Ombudsman(Commonwealth)inJune2003 for a five-year term. In June 2008, he was reappointed for a second five-year term. Before his appointment he was director of the National Film and Sound Archive.

Mr Brent was born in Melbourne and completed his Bachelor of Economics and Bachelor of Laws at The AustralianNationalUniversityinCanberra.

He has held senior positions in legal and policy areas within the Department of Arts, Sport, the Environment and Territories, and the Department of Primary Industries and Energy.

Mr Ian Carnell

Mr Ian Carnell was appointed to the independent statutory position of Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security in March 2004.

Mr Carnell has had broad-ranging experience in public administration

in various senior positions. This has included policy development, program administration and fraud control.

The Hon. John Clarke QC

TheHon.JohnClarkeQCwasajudgeof the NSW Supreme Court from 1983 to 1997 and sat on the NSW Court of Appeal from 1987 to 1997.

With a reputation for fiercely protecting his independence, Mr Clarke later

worked for the Independent Commission Against Corruption(ICAC).AttheICAC,hisworkincludedtheinvestigation into alleged mistreatment of nurses by the formerNSWhealthminister,theHon.CraigKnowles.

In 2008, Mr Clarke was appointed by the Attorney-General, the Hon. Robert McClelland MP, to head the federal government’s judicial inquiry into the counter-terrorism investigation into Dr Mohamed Haneef. The inquiry examined the conduct of the Australian Federal Police, staff of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions, as well as officers of the Department of Immigration and its former minister, the Hon. KevinAndrewsMP.

The Clarke Inquiry into the case of Dr Haneef made 10 recommendations on the special powers applying to inquiries and independent reviews involving matters of national security and the roles, functions and responsibilities of government agencies and departments—the Government agreed to all.

Mr Clarke also conducted an inquiry for the Howard government into the entitlements of veterans in 2002. He made more than 100 recommendations—which the government rejected.

Since retiring from the bench Mr Clarke has practised as a mediator and arbitrator and is a member of LEADR (LawyersEngagedinAlternativeDisputeResolution).

Mr Bruce Cooper

Mr Bruce Cooper is responsible for the Australian CompetitionandConsumerCommission(ACCC)InfoCentre, which assesses and responds to more than 100 000 complaints each year; the information and analysis unit, which seeks to identify emerging issues for ACCC enforcement and compliance response; the international unit; and the legislative policy unit.

Mr Cooper’s previous ACCC role was as General Manager oftheCorporateandRegulatoryLawUnit.Inthispositionhe provided legal advice to the ACCC and the ACCC’s executive on corporate and administrative matters and on legal issues relating to the regulatory functions of the ACCC and the Australian Energy Regulator, including in the electricity, gas, telecommunications and transport and prices oversight areas.

Before joining the ACCC in 1998, Mr Cooper worked in private practice and in the legal area of the Commonwealth Department of Industrial Relations.


Mr Mark Dreyfus QC, MP

MrMarkDreyfusQC,MPistheFederalMember for Isaacs, the Chair of the House of Representatives Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee and a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security.

As chair of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, he oversaw the inquiry into whistleblowing protections within the Australian Government public sector. The inquiry’s report was tabled in the House of Representatives in February 2009 and is currently being considered by the Australian Government.

Ms Kate Eadie

MsKateEadieisanexperiencedInvestigations Manager at the national Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman(TIO).Shehasworkedforthe ombudsman in key roles for almost 10 years and is now part of the senior

management team. Among her many achievements, Ms Eadie managed the TIO’s groundbreaking connect resolve campaign.

Mr Brian Gleeson

Mr Brian Gleeson became Coordinator-General for Remote Indigenous Services in July 2009. In this position, Mr Gleeson will oversee the implementation of the Council of Australian Governments’

Remote Service Delivery National Partnership. He will report directly to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs and will work closely with Indigenous people, community groups, industry, and government organisations to make in-roads into our national targets for closing the gap.

Mr Gleeson has a strong background in strategic policy, building partnerships and relationships, local community engagement, change management, and financial and human resource management.

Forthepast12years,hehasworkedfortheUN,mostrecentlyastheUNResidentCoordinator/ResidentRepresentative Libya Arab Jamahiriya, where he initiated amajorrealignmentandreformoftheUNrelationshipswith the Government, NGOs and private sector to restore its relevance and sustainability. Mr Gleeson has also held keyrolesintheWorldHealthOrganizationandtheUnitedNations Headquarters in New York.

BeforejoiningtheUN,MrGleesonspentmorethan30 years working for the Australian Public Service (APS).ThelastpositionheheldwasasFirstAssistantCommissioner, APS Human Resources Policy Division in Canberra, in which he was responsible for developing and implementing human resources management policies for 150 000 federal public servants.

Mr Gleeson has accounting, economics and management qualificationsfromtheUniversityofCanberraandisaCertified Public Accountant.

Dr Grant Lester

Dr Grant Lester is a consultant forensic psychiatrist employedbytheVictorianInstituteofForensicMentalHealth as the psychiatrist-in-charge, the Acute Admission UnitatVictoria’sThomasEmblingHospital.

Since the mid-1990s he has had an interest in individuals with ‘difficult’ personalities and those with personality disorders. In particular he has researched people who would be best described as querulant and vexatious complainants and litigants. His research has been published in both legal and psychiatric journals.

Dr Lester was consultant for the Dealing with Unreasonable Complainant Conduct project undertaken by the eight Australian Parliamentary Ombudsman. He is also, in collaboration with the National Judicial College Australia, training groups of the judiciary in understanding and managing the querulant and vexatious litigant.

Ms Sheryl Lewin

Ms Sheryl Lewin occupies the position of General Manager Network Performance in Centrelink, where she is responsible for driving performance across Centrelink’s service delivery network of 316 customer service

centres and 27 000 employees. This includes coordinating Centrelink’s response to emergencies, managing business continuity, supporting the Government’s social inclusion agenda, delivering an improved customer experience and positioning the future role of social work services.

Professor John McMillan

Professor John McMillan was appointed Commonwealth Ombudsman in 2003 and reappointed in 2008 for a further five-year term. He is on leave from The AustralianNationalUniversitywhereheis a Professor of Administrative Law.

Professor McMillan is a member of the Administrative Review Council, which advises the Government on administrative law reform. He also established the Australian Commission for Law Enforcement Integrity in 2007, as Integrity Commissioner.

Professor McMillan is a co-author of Control of Government Action(secondeditionpublished2009).He has been active in community affairs and legal practice. He was a founding member and later president of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law; he is an Executive Member of the Australian New Zealand Ombudsman Association; and he is a National Fellow of the Institute of Public Administration Australia.


Ms Clare Martin

Ms Clare Martin became CEO of the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS)inNovember2008.ACOSSis the peak council of the community services and welfare sector and is the national voice of low income and

disadvantaged people.

Before her appointment at ACOSS, Ms Martin was the Labor Member for the electorate of Fannie Bay in the Northern Territory Parliament for 13 years. During that time she was opposition leader from 1999 to 2001, then chief minister in the territory’s first ever Labor Government until 2007.

Ms Martin was a journalist and broadcaster with the ABC for 17 years, working in Sydney, Canberra and Darwin in both radio and television, before her parliamentary career.

Mr George Masri

Mr George Masri is Senior Assistant Ombudsman(SocialSupportandIndigenous)intheofficeoftheCommonwealth Ombudsman. Mr Masri has worked in the Ombudsman’s office since the beginning of 2005 and until

August 2008 had responsibility for immigration.

Mr Masri has a varied background in public administration, including as an associate to a member of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, a principal solicitor in community legal centres, a ministerial adviser in three different portfolios and as a senior business consultant for a company developing automated systems to assist with administrative decision making.

Mr Masri is also a council member of the ACT Division oftheInstituteofPublicAdministrationAustralia(IPAA).

Ms Yvonne Miles

Ms Yvonne Miles is the Manager of Education and Training with the Independent Commission Against Corruption(ICAC).ShehasbeenwithICAC since 1994.

In her education roles with the ICAC, Ms Miles has initiated research to

establish the need for outreach strategies and has extensive experience in formulating strategies for culturally and linguistically diverse communities. Her experience provides considerable insight into the challenges organisations like the ICAC face in undertaking this work.

Ms Miles has also led the development of a wide range of public sector and community educational resources. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and Diploma of Education from theUniversityofNewEnglandandaGraduateDiplomainManagementfromSydneyUniversity.

Mr Colin Neave AM

Mr Colin Neave AM practised as a solicitor in Melbourne for 20 years between 1967 and 1987, holding the position of company secretary of AMI Toyota Ltd, then a listed company between 1985 and 1987.

Between 1987 and 1996, he held senior positions with various governments, namely secretary of the Attorney-General’sDepartmentinVictoriaandcommissionerforConsumer Affairs in South Australia, managing director Legal Aid Commission NSW and deputy secretary of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department.

Mr Neave became the Banking and Financial Services Ombudsman in February 1996 and was appointed Chief Ombudsman of the Financial Ombudsman Service in July 2008.

He has been the chairman of the Commonwealth ConsumerAffairsAdvisoryCouncil(anditspredecessors)sinceJuly1997andtheLegalServicesBoard,Victoria,from December 2005.

Ms Deirdre O’Donnell

Ms Deirdre O’Donnell took up the position of Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman(TIO)attheendofMay2007. The TIO scheme provides a national dispute resolution service for residential and small business

telecommunications consumers, which during 2008 helped more than 200 000 Australians.

Before joining the TIO, Ms O’Donnell was the State OmbudsmanforWesternAustralia(WA)forfiveyears.She was also a State Records Commissioner, a member of the Western Australian Integrity Coordinating group, and the Energy Ombudsman for WA.

Between 1990 and 2002, Ms O’Donnell was employed in the telecommunications industry. She was Deputy Ombudsman at the TIO between 1999 and 2002, and held senior regulatory positions at Optus and the industry regulator, now the Australian Communications and Media Authority, as well as working for the former Telecom. In her various roles, Ms O’Donnell has had responsibility for areas such as numbering, interconnect, class licensing, competition policy and consumer consultation.

Ms O’Donnell began her professional career as a high school teacher. She has qualifications in Arts, Education and French, and Masters degrees in Business Administration and Commercial Law from MelbourneUniversity.


Mr Mick Palmer AO APM

Mr Mick Palmer AO APM is a 35-year-long police professional. He served for six years as Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police, Fire and Emergency Services and for seven years as Australian Federal Police Commissioner.

A lawyer, Mr Palmer is an Honours graduate of the QueenslandBarristersAdmissionBoardandpractisedat the private bar during 1982 and 1983 before returning to policing.

Mr Palmer currently holds the position of Inspector of Transport Security.

Ms Rhonda Parker

Ms Rhonda Parker was appointed Australia’s first Aged Care Commissioner in April 2007.

Ms Parker’s interest in ageing and the 50+ market began during her time as a member of the Western Australian

parliament, where she served three years in the cabinet. As the Minister for Seniors, she developed the first across-government plan on ageing for Western Australia and was instrumental in developing Australia’s first National Healthy Ageing Strategy, released in 2000.

After leaving politics Ms Parker was chief executive of the Positive Ageing Foundation of Australia, an organisation dedicated to the research and promotion of successful ageing. In 2005 the foundation merged with theCentreforResearchintoAgeingatCurtinUniversityof Technology, where Ms Parker was appointed an Adjunct Associate Professor.

During this period, Ms Parker also established her consultancy, working with industry and government to provide strategic advice on the impact of the ageing demographic, as well as delivering her ‘Science of Successful Ageing’ seminars to the 50+ population.

Ms Parker has served as a director of the Aged Care Standards and Accreditation Agency, and been a member of the Australian Speakers Bureau, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and the Australian Institute of Management.

Mr David Schomburgk

Mr David Schomburgk has worked in both private and public sectors in Australia and overseas. After spending the early part of his working life in finance and economic development, Mr Schomburgk has spent the

past 13 years working in various areas of consumer protection, including policy development, enforcement and dispute resolution.Mr Schomburgk is the Manager of the Consumer Affairs division of the South Australian Office of Consumer and Business Affairs, where he has responsibility for providing a consumer advisory service, a dispute resolution service, monitoring marketplace activities for compliance with fair trading legislation, consumer product safetyandtrademeasurementinSouthAustralia(SA).

He is also well known for his work with Indigenous communities in the APY Lands in the far north of SA.Mr Schomburgk is a Council Member of Standards Australia; Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Member of the SA Trade Standards Advisory Council, Member of the SA Scanning Code Administration Committee, former Treasurer of the SocietyofConsumerAffairsProfessionals(SOCAP)Australia and former member of the Board of Trustees for the Travel Compensation Fund.He is also heavily involved in several national advisory committees in relation to various elements of consumer protection and has contributed to the preparation of the South Australian response to the Productivity Commission’s reviews of both the Australian Consumer Product Safety System and Australia’s Consumer Policy Framework.Mr Schomburgk is President of SOCAP Australia and is currently acting in the position of Deputy Commissioner & Director of Communication, Policy & Research in the South Australian Office of Consumer and Business Affairs.

Ms Karen Toohey

MsKarenTooheyisDirectorofInvestigation and Conciliation at the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC),wheresheisalsoresponsiblefor developing and implementing community education and awareness programs for AHRC’s complaint-

handling service.

Ms Toohey has extensive experience in conducting and managing the investigation and resolution of complaints under anti-discrimination and human rights law. She also has experience in the development and presentation of national and international training programs.

Ms Toohey’s academic background is in science, arts and law. She has previously worked in the private sector in marketing roles.

Mr Chris Wheeler

Mr Chris Wheeler has been Deputy NSW Ombudsman since 1994. He has 25 years of experience in complaint handling and investigations, as well as extensive experience in management and public administration.

Among other things, Mr Wheeler has direct oversight of the responsibilities conferred on the NSW Ombudsman under the Freedom of Information and Protected Disclosure Acts. He also has responsibility to lead and coordinate the preparation of publications issued by the NSW Ombudsman to guide and improve the performance by public officials in their duties.

Mr Wheeler is a member of the research team for the national Whistling While They Work project, looking at ways to improve the management and protection of internal witnesses. He is also the project sponsor of the Dealing with Unreasonable Complainant Conduct project undertaken by the eight Australian parliamentary ombudsmen.


© Commonwealth Ombudsman, 2009

Good > Better > BestConference Secretariat Commonwealth Ombudsman GPO Box 442, Canberra ACT 2061

www.ombudsman.gov.au

After dinner entertainment by the

Photograph by Gary Ramage

House Howlers

The House Howlers are a motley crew of media representatives from the Federal Parliamentary Press Gallery who lampoon the nation’s leaders in song. Their laugh out loud a cappella satire spares no issue or ego as they drag you across the political landscape in multi-part harmony.

The House Howlers have been singing together as a group since 1996. The majority of members are journalists in the press gallery at Parliament House in Canberra. There are a few current and ex parliamentary staffers in the group. And even a few former journalists who have moved on to new careers.

Connected by a love of politics, music and the joy of singing with like-minded souls who love politics and music, members of the House Howlers have spread all around the country and across the globe, from Sydney to London and Martha’s Vineyard in the US. Once a House Howler, always a House Howler!

The group performs every year at the Press Gallery Midwinter Ball, an event that has raised many eyebrows as well as more than $1 million for charity in the past 10 years. The House Howlers have also performed at the National Folk Festival in Canberra for the past two years and often perform at private parties and charity events.

>> www.ombudsman.gov.au

Documents

Good Better Best - Ombudsman€¦ · Good > Better > Best – Changes in public integrity | National conference 2009 3 The broader lesson from this report is that minor and trifling