australia | Ombudsman Western Australia Annual Report 2021-22 tabled in Parliament, 21 September 2022

The Western Australian Ombudsman has tabled his 2021-22 annual report in Parliament. The report outlines the work of the Office for the year, including:

• We finalised 97% of complaints within 3 months.
• Since 2007, we have:
  • Decreased the age of complaints from 173 days to 37 days; and
  • Reduced the cost of resolving complaints by 41%.
• 100% of our recommendations were accepted for the fifteenth consecutive year.
• In relation to our important function to review child deaths and family domestic violence fatalities, we:
  • Received 27 investigable child deaths;
  • Received 9 reviewable family and domestic violence fatalities; and
  • Made 10 recommendations about ways to prevent or reduce these deaths and fatalities.
• We tabled in Parliament A report on the steps taken to give effect to the recommendations arising from Preventing suicide by children and young people 2020 and An investigation into the Office of the Public Advocate’s role in notifying the families of Mrs Joyce Savage, Mr Robert Ayling and Mr Kenneth Hartley of the deaths of Mrs Savage, Mr Ayling and Mr Hartley.
• We undertook a range of work to implement our inaugural Aboriginal Action Plan.
• We enhanced awareness and access to the Office for children and young people through a range of mechanisms.

We enhanced regional awareness and access to the Office through a visit to Kununurra, Wyndham and Halls Creek in the East Kimberley Region, Broome, Derby and Fitzroy Crossing in the West Kimberley Region, and an information stall at the Dowerin Machinery Field Days agricultural show.

Source: Office of the Ombudsman of Western Australia