Self-initiated investigations
The Ombudsman does not need to receive a complaint about an agency’s administrative conduct in order to begin an investigation. Section 13(3) of the Ombudsmen Act says we can also investigate ‘of our own motion’.
A self-initiated investigation is usually prompted by serious or systemic issues, where the Ombudsman thinks their intervention has the potential to result in wider administrative improvement.
Recent examples of self-initiated investigations include:
- an investigation into Prisoner Health Services
- an investigation into the complaint procedures of Corrections Inmate Employment
- an investigation into the Department of Corrections’ disposable safety razor policy
- an investigation into the Department of Corrections’ use of strip gowns
Reports on these and other investigations can be found here.
For more information about why we initiate investigations of our own motion, and how these investigations are conducted, see wider administrative improvement investigations.