News
New report released - An inherent conflict of interest: councils as developer and regulator
15 Dec 2020
There is inherent potential for conflicts of interest when NSW local councils undertake their own developments, according to a new report by the NSW Ombudsman.
The report An inherent conflict of interest: councils as developer and regulator, tabled in Parliament today by Acting Ombudsman Paul Miller, has found this potential exists because there are no clear guidelines or best-practice approaches for instances when a local council is both the developer as well as being the regulator of that development.
The report also highlights an instance when such a conflict of interest led to unlawful action.
New report: Whistleblowing in NSW depends on clear protections and open, reporting culture
15 Dec 2020
A NSW Ombudsman’s report on public sector whistleblowing shows that NSW public officials made 949 public interest disclosures (PIDs) to investigating authorities in the 2019-20 financial year.
Two thirds of those were made to ICAC by heads of public sector agencies who are required by law to report possible corrupt conduct. In addition, agencies received nearly 400 (383) reports of wrongdoing about their own agencies. Consistent with previous years, the majority (85%) of those included an allegation of corrupt conduct.
While the report shows that there were slightly fewer PIDs in 2019-20 than in 2018-19, the number of reports remains higher than earlier years, and is consistent with a long-term trend of increased reporting.
NSW Child Death Review Team Annual Report 2019–2020
27 Oct 2020
Acting NSW Ombudsman and Convenor of the NSW Child Death Review Team (CDRT), Paul Miller, has tabled the CDRT’s annual report 2019–20 in Parliament.
The CDRT is comprised of key government agencies and independent experts in child health, research and injury prevention, and aims to prevent and reduce the deaths of children in NSW.
The annual report describes the work of the CDRT over the last year. Most importantly, the report also details the extent to which the CDRT’s recommendations to prevent or reduce the likelihood of child deaths have been accepted by agencies, and the progress being made to implement the Team’s recommendations.
Read the report.
Read the media release.
Acting Ombudsman tabled the NSW Ombudsman Annual Report 2019-20
27 Oct 2020
Acting Ombudsman Paul Miller today tabled in Parliament the NSW Ombudsman Annual Report 2019-20. The report provides a detailed account of the Office’s work for the year, including its role in monitoring government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report highlights the important role that oversight agencies play in NSW, especially at a time of crisis.
Read the report
Read the media release
NSW Ombudsman tables - More than shelter – addressing legal and policy gaps in supporting homeless children
19 Oct 2020
The Acting NSW Ombudsman, Mr Paul Miller has tabled a special report to Parliament: More than shelter – addressing legal and policy gaps in supporting homeless children: A progress report.
Changes to our training offering
27 Aug 2020
With changes to our jurisdiction and organisational priorities, the NSW Ombudsman is no longer offering a number of training programs.