Australia | Commonwealth Ombudsman – Ombudsman finds employment provider oversight ineffective and remediation unfair – lessons for all government agencies

The Commonwealth Ombudsman released a new report examining the fairness and decision-making relating to compensation paid to job seekers who had their income support payments cancelled unlawfully.

The Ombudsman found the strategy taken by the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations (DEWR) and Australia’s welfare agency, Services Australia, to provide remedies to affected job seekers was not fair or reasonable.

The investigation followed earlier findings that some income support payments were unlawfully cancelled.

The Ombudsman highlighted lessons for all agencies:

• Have clear policies and procedures to support good decision-making
• Base decisions on evidence
• Communicate decisions clearly to people applying for government payments
• Establish strong data analysis and reporting to support good decision-making and continuous improvement
• Take responsibility for fixing any errors
• Make complaints processes clear and accessible and provide guidance to complaint handlers

For more information see: Fairness in the Targeted Compliance Framework: when decisions are made beyond your control 

Source: The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman, Australia