The ACT Ombudsman has released his first quarterly report of the year, finding an increase in complaints about ACT Government Agencies compared to the same period last year.
The Ombudsman, Michael Manthorpe (pictured) said his Office was acutely aware of the pressures that many Agencies were under at this time in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“As a result, I am seeking to minimise the extent to which my Office’s oversight role might unreasonably distract Agencies from managing the current crisis,” Mr Manthorpe said.
“That said, independent oversight of administrative action—the core purpose of my Office—remains important, all the more so at a time of unprecedented actions by both Commonwealth and State/Territory governments,” he said.
“When large, new and very necessary government interventions are rolled out at speed, things can sometimes go wrong.”
Mr Manthorpe said that while complaints received between January and March had increased by 14.6 per cent, his Office had not seen any major spike arising from the measures the Territory put in place in response to COVID-19.
“At this stage, complaint numbers to my Office are relatively steady,” he said.
“I will alert relevant agencies if this changes.”
He said his Office would continue to monitor new initiatives and stood ready to provide advice to Government Agencies on issues of implementation of new programs.
The Ombudsman’s 23-page quarterly report can be accessed at this PS News link.
