OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Ensuring transparency
and accountability in
decision-making
Commonwealth Ombudsman
2
OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
• What builds trust?
• Robodebt and the Ombudsman
• How do agencies respond to complaints?
• Whistle-blowing
• The importance of remediation
• How can integrity agencies assist?
• What does this mean for AI in the public sector?
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Where are we on trust?
• Covid – decline in social cohesion?
• Edelman Trust Barometer 2025 – declining trust in public
sector
• 2024 Prime Minister & Cabinet Trust report – stable trust
in Australian public services
This is the heading
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
What builds trust?
• Competence
• Clear communications that work for the community
• Simple-to-use systems that work for the community
• Transparency and accountability
This is the heading
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
My Office’s experience
• 24,000 contacts and complaints per year
• 20 statutory functions
• Independent and impartial
• Impartiality v advocacy
• Transparency v confidentiality
This is the heading
OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Commonwealth and ACT roles
National Student
Australian National
Private Health
Ombudsman
Preventive
Insurance
Overseas Students
Mechanism (NPM)
(2025)
Coordinator
Commonwealth NPM
Postal Industry
VET Student Loans
Immigration
Ombudsman
(as Cth O)
ACT NPM
Defence Force
Law Enforcement &
Public Interest
Integrity Oversight
Disclosures
(as ACT O)
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Commonwealth and ACT Roles
Inspector of Integrity Commission
Principal Officer to the Judicial Council
Freedom of Information Act oversight
Reportable Conduct Scheme oversight
ACT Ombudsman
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Part of the integrity system
Agencies who act independently but share observations
• National Anti-Corruption Commission
• Australian National Audit Office
• Commonwealth Ombudsman
Working with other independent monitoring agencies
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Robodebt and thereafter
• Strong criticism by Royal Commission
• How do we deliver public value?
• Being clear on our purpose
• Using our powers
• Engaging with civil society
• Transparency on our performance
This is the heading
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
How do agencies respond to of Information Act 1982
allegations?
• Agency convenience and process design
• Defensive or curious?
• “We don’t get any complaints”
• Damage control
This is the heading
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Whistle-blowing
• The stigma of PIDs
• The risk of reprisals
• Disproving al egations v curiosity
• Transparency and PIDs
This is the heading
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
The importance of remediation
• Agencies should fol ow the law
• “The law is wrong”
• A remedy for those impacted
• “Should we tel ?”
• Remediation and accountability
This is the heading
12
OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
How can integrity agencies assist?
• Be willing to call out issues
• Clear advice about the problem
• Clear advice about how to improve
• Aim for penetration with advice
• Follow up implementation
• Identify good practice
This is the heading
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
The use of AI in the public sector
• Potential efficiency gains
• The speed of AI can be an issue
• Plan for remediation at scale
• Remediation and accountability
This is the heading
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OFFICIAL
Documents released under Freedom
of Information Act 1982
Q&A session
Document Outline
