Principles

The basic principles underpinning our process are fairness, accessibility, responsiveness and continual business improvement.

Complaints about our service

If you are concerned about our service, you should first try and resolve your complaint with the particular Ombudsman SA officer. If you would like to make a complaint, you can do so in writing.

We will respond to people making a complaint about our service with courtesy and respect.  We ask that people show courtesy and respect for our staff when making a complaint.

If you are unable to resolve your complaint with the officer, you can ask for a review of your complaint by the Deputy Ombudsman by emailing us; or writing to us at PO Box 3651, Rundle Mall SA 5000.

If your complaint is about the Deputy Ombudsman, it will be dealt with by the Ombudsman.

The Deputy Ombudsman or the Ombudsman will deal with your complaint within five working days.  We will let you know if this will take longer.

There is no charge for making a complaint to Ombudsman SA.  If you require further assistance to make your complaint you should contact the Deputy Ombudsman.

The Inspector

The role of the Inspector was created as part of the 2021 changes to the Independent Commission Against Corruption Act 2012 and the Ombudsman Act 1972.

The Inspector undertakes annual reviews of the operations of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, the Office for Public Integrity and the Ombudsman.

The Inspector must consider matters including:

  • whether powers under the ICAC Act and the Ombudsman Act were exercised in an appropriate manner
  • whether the practices and procedures of ICAC, the Office for Public Integrity and the Ombudsman were effective and efficient

The Inspector also conducts reviews:

  • in response to relevant complaints to the Inspector
  • on their own motion
  • at the request of the Attorney-General or the Crime and Public Integrity Policy Committee.

Every year, the Inspector must deliver a report on their reviews to Parliament.

Making a complaint to the Inspector

If your complaint falls within the Inspector’s power, you can lodge a complaint online or post the form with supporting documentation.

Submit a complaint online

You can also print the complaint form and post it to:

The Inspector

GPO 2371

ADELAIDE  SA  5001

Or email complaints to: inspector@sa.gov.au

Print the complaint form

Complaints about our decisions

If you are concerned about a decision made during our investigations, reviews or audits, you should always raise your concern with the particular case officer responsible for the matter.  You should give clear facts and reasons for your concern to the case officer.

Our investigations, reviews and audits also incorporate a ‘natural justice’ step in the following way:

Decision – not to investigate or continue to investigate a matter

If we are considering making a decision not to investigate or not to continue investigating your complaint under the Ombudsman Act, we let you know and give you the opportunity to tell us where you think we have gone wrong before we finalise your complaint.

Decision – investigation or audit

Towards the conclusion of an investigation or an audit, the Ombudsman provides the parties with a provisional report or assessment showing our views about the matter.  We give the parties the opportunity to comment on these views before the investigation or audit is completed and the report or assessment is finalised.

If at the conclusion of an investigation, you are still concerned about our decision, you can ask the Ombudsman for the case to be reviewed.

However, for us to conduct a case review, you will need to give the Ombudsman significant persuasive evidence and tell us how the decision is wrong.

If we agree to review our decision, the review will be assigned to an officer who was not involved in managing the original investigation.  We will only review a decision once.

A review is not a reinvestigation.  Rather, we look at whether the processes which the officer/s followed were fair and adequate, whether the conclusions reached were reasonable on the information available at the time and whether the conclusions were properly explained.

Determination – Freedom of Information Act 1991

Towards the conclusion of an external review under the Freedom of Information Act 1991, the Ombudsman provides the parties with a provisional determination showing our views about the review.  We give the parties the opportunity to respond to these views, before the Ombudsman finalises the determination.

If parties are dissatisfied with the Ombudsman’s determination, they have a right to appeal to the South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) under the Freedom of Information Act 1991.

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