Ombudsman SA deals with complaints about South Australian state and local government.

About Ombudsman SA

We promote

  • fairness
  • integrity
  • transparency
  • accountability
  • good public administration in South Australia.

We act independently and impartially. Our aim is to be fair and find out the facts.

Where an agency has made an error, we may recommend action to ensure improvement. We may also work with parties to resolve an issue.

The services of Ombudsman SA are free to the public.

We focus on

  • Complaints – we look into complaints about state government departments and authorities and local government councils (including a specific Child Protection jurisdiction)
  • Misconduct and maladministration – we assess and investigate possible misconduct and maladministration in public administration.
  • Public Interest Disclosures – we receive disclosures of public interest information on a confidential basis
  • Return to Work issues – we look into complaints about breaches of service standards by a claims agent or self-insured employer, access to worker files and acts of the Return to Work Corporation and government self-insured employers.
  • Freedom of Information Reviews – we review state agencies’ decisions about the release of public information
  • Audits – we do audits of practices and procedures of agencies (including an annual audit of forensic procedures undertaken by SA Police and Forensic Science).

Some government agencies are outside the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction, which means we cannot deal with complaints about those agencies.  Many of those complaints may be handled by other agencies.

Ombudsman SA is funded by a State Budget allocation through the South Australian Attorney-General’s Department.

Ombudsman SA welcomes your feedback on the services we provide:

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