BackThe NSW Ombudsman has tabled its latest annual report detailing on 18,685 actionable complaints finalised during the year, recommendations it has made for public sector improvement (of which 99% of those responded to have been accepted) and more than $600,000 in financial outcomes for members of the public in 2025–26.
Tabled in NSW Parliament on 29th October 2026, the 2025–26 Annual Report outlines the Ombudsman’s work to resolve complaints and investigate serious issues, monitor and report on the operation of community services, Aboriginal programs and whistleblowing systems, and identify opportunities to improve public administration across NSW.
During the year, the Ombudsman received 37,310 contacts, including 18,380 actionable complaints.
“Every single complaint we receive is assessed in person by one of our complaints officers,” said NSW Ombudsman Paul Miller.
“We receive many more complaints than we could possibly investigate, and we must exercise our discretion with a view to taking action on a portfolio of complaints that mean our efforts will have the greatest impact.”
The report notes the wide range of outcomes that can be achieved following further assessment of complaints, including revoked or varied decisions, changes to policy and practices and apologies. In some cases, financial remedies may be appropriate, and in 2025–26, complaints resolved led directly to over $600,000 in refunds, compensation or financial waivers.
“Only a small number of complaints lead to a formal investigation. However, these play a vital role in exposing and correcting serious and systemic instances of maladministration,” continued Mr Miller.
During 2025–26, 20 reports were tabled in Parliament, including 10 finalised investigations. Through these reports, 85 recommendations were made, of which 67 (out of the 68 that have been responded to date) have been accepted.
“Through our work, we continue to impel and inform system changes and reform. Current examples include government’s responses to our reports which commit to child safety and wellbeing system reform, inmate discipline reform and development of a new approach to embedding OCHRE principles in Aboriginal affairs,” said Mr Miller.
Education, training and guidance also remained central to the Ombudsman’s work to strengthen complaint handling, promote integrity and help prevent maladministration.
More than 3,200 individuals participated in training and workshops covering complaint handling, administrative law and the Public Interest Disclosures scheme.
Guidance to the public sector was also provided through two In Focus papers in 2025–26 on managing backlogs and the integrity of external investigations. An area of increasing significance for the Ombudsman, an additional In Focus paper was published earlier this week on the rise of AI-assisted complaints.
The Child Death Review Team’s (CDRT) 2025–26 Annual Report was also tabled in Parliament on Thursday. The CDRT, which is convened by the NSW Ombudsman and supported by Ombudsman staff, reviews and maintains a register of deaths of children aged from birth to 17 years and analyses data to identify trends and make recommendations aimed at reducing the risk of preventable child deaths.
Its annual report outlines the Team’s work and the extent to which agencies have accepted recommendations and progressed their implementation.
Read the NSW Ombudsman Annual Report 2025-26 here.
Read the CDRT Annual Report 2025-26 here.
Source: Office of the NSW Ombudsman, Australia
