Members of the Australasia and Pacific Ombudsman Region (APOR) will be meeting in Melbourne, Australia, on 3 May 2016. The one-day conference is themed “Building Relationships, Meeting Global Challenges”.

Issue 23 of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales’ Casebook (October - December 2015) has been published. The Casebook is a collection of summaries of cases dealt with in the previous quarter.

The Victorian Ombudsman has filed an application seeking a determination by the Supreme Court as to whether she has jurisdiction to investigate a recent referral from the Legislative Council.

According to an investigative report released by Manitoba Ombudsman, Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) lacked sufficient justification in its initial attempt for an untendered contract to purchase $5 million worth of flood-fighting equipment for First Nation communities in the Interlake.

The Office of The Ombudsman held a press conference on 28 January 2016 to announce the results of a direct investigation report and a complaint investigation report, namely “Government’s Implementation of Strengthened Control of Exhaust Emissions from Petrol and LPG Vehicles” and “Handling of Food Safety Complaints by Food and Environmental Hygiene Department”. The press conference also covered a brief report on the work of the Office for the year of 2015 (January to December 2015).

“Some representatives of the authorities openly say that they do not respect the Constitution. I find it particularly dangerous. No one has done anything like this in Poland since the transformation in 1989” – The Polish Commissioner for Human Rights, Dr. Adam Bodnar, told Onet.

As refugees, asylum seekers and migrants continue to risk their lives to reach the EU, FRA will be publishing a monthly overview of the fundamental rights situation in the Member States that have seen the greatest numbers arriving in or passing through their territory.

Québec’s Ombudsperson Raymonde Saint-Germain subscribes to the general principles of the Bill 77 (Québec Immigration Act), which proposes reform of the immigration system.