News
Is your builder ‘fit and proper’: the weaknesses of the home building licensing scheme in NSW
16 May 2018
The NSW Ombudsman, Michael Barnes, tabled a report in Parliament today following his investigation into Fair Trading’s Home Building Service.
Our investigation found that there were serious and systemic issues with both the public register and the home building licensing system. The information that Fair Trading records on the public register does not have sufficient detail and contemporaneous information to make it fit for purpose, that is, to provide consumer protection and help stop the actions of unscrupulous builders.
Child mortality rates decline for NSW, but variation still seen across areas
12 Apr 2018
The NSW Ombudsman and Convenor of the NSW Child Death Review Team, Mr Michael Barnes, today tabled a report in the NSW Parliament on the ‘Spatial analysis of child deaths in New South Wales’.
The report, prepared by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare for the NSW Child Death Review Team, focuses on two key issues - the geographic distribution of child deaths across NSW, and how the risk of death varies by area-level characteristics.
Joint Protocol training videos
13 Mar 2018
The Joint Protocol to reduce the contact of people with disability in supported accommodation with the criminal justice system aims to reduce unnecessary contact with the Police in relation to incidents that would be better managed within the disability accommodation service, and to improve relationships and communication between local police and disability services.
We have developed two short videos to make it as easy as possible for disability support workers and managers to quickly understand the Joint Protocol and what they need to do:
Correcting the record: Investigation into water compliance and enforcement 2007-17
08 Mar 2018
The NSW Ombudsman, Michael Barnes, tabled a report in Parliament today to correct the public record in relation to the enforcement statistics published in the former Acting Ombudsman’s November 2017 special report to Parliament (the November report).
NSW Ombudsman project to look at the transfer process for people with disability in ADHC accommodation who have complex support needs
20 Feb 2018
The NSW Ombudsman is undertaking a project to look at the transfer process for people with disability in ADHC accommodation who have complex support needs. The aim of the project is to identify at an early point any significant issues that may affect the residents and provide oversight and advice to address these issues during the transfer process.
Read our fact sheet for more information.
Ombudsman warns of danger posed to people with disabilities left in vehicles
17 Jan 2018
The public should be alert to vulnerable people with disabilities being left in cars in heat waves, the Ombudsman Michael Barnes sent out a media release today, ahead of extreme temperatures predicted for the weekend.
