The ACT Ombudsman received 162 complaints and finalised 160 in the last quarter, according to his latest quarterly update.
The Ombudsman, Michael Manthorpe said the largest number of complaints received in his office during the quarter related to ACT Corrective Services and Housing ACT.
“I released a significant own motion investigation report this quarter – Parole processes at the Alexander Maconochie Centre,” Mr Manthorpe said.
“No person should be detained for longer than necessary and, ideally, a person sentenced to a prison term should be able to engage with the corrections system to help prepare for their release at the earliest reasonable time and aim for a successful transition back into the community,” he said.
The Ombudsman said his Report made 15 recommendations about the administration of parole processes, all of which were accepted by the Justice and Community Safety Directorate and ACT Corrective Services which intend to implement them by the end of this year.
“My Office will continue to work with ACT Corrective Services to support the implementation of the recommendations,” Mr Manthorpe said.
“In November, I published theACT Ombudsman Annual Report 2019–2020, the Inspector of the ACT Integrity Commission Annual Report 2019–2020 and my Report on the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2016 for 2019–2020,” he said.
He said that despite the ongoing challenges and uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic presented, his Office continued to strive to provide assurance to the public and the Legislative Assembly that ACT Government Agencies had effective complaint handling systems in place and were acting with fairness and integrity.
The Ombudsman’s 19-page quarterly report to December 2020 can be accessed at this PS News link.
