Latest Publications
Click on a link below to access some of our latest publications.
Latest publications
January 2012
Report under Section 49(1) of the Surveillance Devices Act 2007
The Surveillance Devices Act 2007 (NSW) (SD Act) began operation on 1 August 2008 and allows for the use of surveillance devices to investigate crime and to enable evidence to be obtained of the commission of such crime or the identity or location of the offender(s). The SD Act covers the installation, use and maintenance of listening, optical, tracking, and data surveillance devices and restricts the communication and publication of private conversations, surveillance activities, and information obtained from their use.
December 2011
Law Enforcement (Controlled Operations) Act 1997 Annual Report 2010-2011
The Law Enforcement (Controlled Operations) Act 1997 provides a mechanism to exempt law enforcement officers executing and operating under an authority from any criminal liability arising in the course of such operations. Under this Act the Ombudsman has the responsibility to inspect the records kept by law enforcement agencies to ascertain whether or not the requirements of the Act are being complied with. This report details the Ombudsman's work and activities under this Act for the 12 months ending 30 June 2011.
November 2011
NSW Ombudsman's Annual Report 2010-2011
Our annual report is a public record of our work for the financial year 2010-2011. It provides the community with an opportunity to find out what we have achieved and the way we have achieved it. Although specific investigations and inquiries are generally conducted in private, we may include certain issues or instances of misconduct or maladministration in our annual report if we feel it is in the public interest.
NSW Child Death Review Team Annual Report 2010
This is the fifteenth report of the NSW Child Death Review Team (the Team), and the first since the NSW Ombudsman became Convenor of the Team and responsibility for support and assistance for the Team transferred to his office from the NSW Commission for Children and Young People. The transfer took place in late February 2011. This report was therefore produced during a transitional period for the Team. The report provides information on 589 children and young people whose deaths were registered in NSW in 2010.
October 2011
Addressing Aboriginal disadvantage: the need to do things differently
This report details our audit of the implementation of the NSW Interagency Plan to Tackle Child Sexual Assault in Aboriginal Communities 2006 - 2011 (Interagency Plan). The report seeks to bring together what we have said over a number of years publicly - as well as to agencies directly - about the systemic reforms that are needed to address Aboriginal disadvantage in NSW. It also builds on the findings and recommendations contained in our December 2010 report about service delivery to the Bourke and Brewarrina communities. The report highlights the importance of taking bold approaches to the priority areas of education, building economic capacity and protecting vulnerable children in Aboriginal communities.
Kariong Juvenile Correctional Centre: Meeting the challenges
Kariong Juvenile Correctional Centre houses some of the most challenging and troubled adolescent boys and young men in the NSW criminal justice system. This report details our investigation into the operation of the Behaviour Management Program at Kariong Juvenile Correctional Centre which determines almost every aspect of an inmate's day to day life, and calls for significant changes.
September 2011
Report of Reviewable Deaths in 2008 and 2009 Volume 2: Deaths of people with disabilities in care
This is our sixth report on reviewable deaths since 2004, and the first since legislative amendments significantly changed the responsibilities of the Ombudsman in relation to reviewable deaths. The report considers the deaths of 193 people with disabilities in care in 2008 and 2009, and made 15 recommendations that aim to improve the health outcomes of people with disabilities in care, and to reduce preventable deaths.
August 2011
Keep Them Safe: A shared approach to child wellbeing is an initiative of the former government stemming from recommendations made by the 2008 Special Commission of Inquiry into Child Protection Services in NSW. It represents a significant shift in the way that child protection and early support services are delivered in NSW.
It is now over 18 months since Keep Them Safe commenced. We initiated an inquiry under section 11 of the Community Services (Complaints, Reviews and Monitoring) Act 1993 to examine whether Community Services’ capacity to adequately respond to children assessed as being at risk of significant harm has improved as a result of changes to the child protection system introduced through Keep Them Safe. This report examines this, and related issues, and makes a range of findings and recommendations.
Review of Parts 2A and 3 of the Terrorism (Police Powers) Act 2002
This is second report on special police powers to address the threat of terrorism. The laws give police powers to apply for court orders to detain people without charge for up to two weeks to prevent a suspected imminent terrorist act or preserve evidence of terrorist acts which have occurred. The laws also give police and NSW Crime Commission officers powers to apply for a warrant to covertly search premises. The powers have not been used since we last reported in 2008.
This report considers the concerns shared by NSW police officers and law enforcement agencies across the country about the preventative detention powers being difficult to implement and impractical. It also considers whether the limited use of the powers and considerable delays in implementing changes recommended in the first report reflect upon the utility and necessity of the powers.
Report of reviewable child deaths 2008 to 2009
This is our sixth report on reviewable child deaths since 2004, and the first since legislative amendments significantly changed the responsibilities of the Ombudsman for reviewing the deaths of children. The report considers the deaths of 77 children and young people that occurred as a result of abuse or neglect, or in circumstances suspicious of abuse or neglect, and the deaths of children who were living in care.
More than board and lodging: the need for boarding house reform
This report is about marginalised and vulnerable people living in accommodation that does not afford them adequate protection, support, or rights; and the need for significant reform to address this longstanding and unacceptable situation. It draws on extensive work by the Ombudsman since 2002, which has identified serious concerns about the safety, health, welfare and rights of the residents of licensed boarding houses, and the adequacy of the system that is meant to protect them.
July 2011
Official Community Visitor Annual Report 2009-2010
The Official Community Visitor annual report is a public record of the official community visitor scheme for the financial year 2009-2010. The report outlines the role of the visitors, their work, statistical information and financial reports.
This is a report following our consultation with over 300 parents and carers of children with disabilities across NSW. The report highlights the key issues raised by parents and carers of children with disabilities, outlines recent developments, and indicates the areas that we are pursuing with government agencies.
Public Interest Disclosures Guidelines
Our public interest disclosures guidelines will be in the form of a series of practice notes covering a wide range of topics. The following are the first five guidelines:
Internal reporting policies and procedures, including model internal reporting policies for organisations and local government and internal reporting policy checklist.
