Ombudsman
Wayne Lines
Wayne Lines is the sixth Ombudsman appointed since the Office was established in 1972.
Mr Lines has lived in Adelaide, South Australia, all his life. He graduated from Adelaide University with a law degree in 1983 and worked in legal practice for 25 years, including 16 years in the Civil Litigation Section of the Crown Solicitor’s Office, where he undertook diverse work and represented government in various courts and tribunals.
He was appointed South Australian WorkCover Ombudsman in 2008 and South Australian Ombudsman in December 2014. As the State’s Ombudsman, Mr Lines has overseen many significant and high profile investigations into state agencies and local government. His emphasis is to drive improvement in public administration, especially in relation to the integrity and fairness of decision making while at the same time keeping state and local government agencies accountable.
Mr Lines is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association (ANZOA), a professional association and peak body for ombudsmen.
Deputy Ombudsman
Steven Strelan
Steven Strelan was appointed to the position of Deputy Ombudsman in October 2021. Prior to that, Steven worked as a government lawyer in South Australia for over 20 years, including practising in criminal law and undertaking general advice work at the Legal Services Commission, and working at the Crown Solicitor’s Office in the Native Title Section and as outposted lawyer to the Environment Protection Authority. Steven has been with Ombudsman SA since 2015, first as a Senior Legal Officer, and then as Manager of Investigations, before commencing as Deputy Ombudsman.
