AUSTRALIA | Commonwealth Ombudsman releases Annual Report 2013-2014

The Commonwealth Ombudsman, Mr. Colin Neave, presented the institution's thirty-seventh Annual Report. The report also contains the annual report of the Defence Force Ombudsman, Postal Industry Ombudsman and Overseas Students Ombudsman.

Additionally, the institution's annual report includes the first annual report on the operation of the Public Interest disclosure scheme in accordance with s 76 of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013.

In the course of the year, the Ombudsman institution's work included:

• launching a new function with the commencement of the Public Interest Disclosure scheme in January 2014
• addressing more than 17,500 complaints about agencies
• releasing a major investigation into Centrelink service delivery
• preparing to take on new functions in relation to private health insurance and freedom of information complaints announced in the 2014 Federal Budget.

For more information, please see the Commonwealth Ombudsman's full Annual Report.

Source: Commonwealth Ombudsman, AUSTRALIA