CHAPTER 2about us

History and establishment

The office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman was established by the Ombudsman Act 1976, and is administered by the Prime Minister. In 1971, the Commonwealth Administrative Review Committee issued a report recommending the establishment of a Commonwealth Ombudsman. The committee proposed a new and distinctive system of administrative law in Australia. It envisaged that the Ombudsman would play a part, along with courts and administrative tribunals, in examining government administrative action.

The office commenced operation on 1 July 1977. Since then, seven Commonwealth Ombudsmen have been in office. Over time the responsibilities of the Ombudsman have expanded to cover:

• complaints about the Australian Federal Police (AFP)—1981
  
  
• complaints about freedom of information—1982
  
  
• Defence Force Ombudsman role—1983
  
  
• responsibility for compliance auditing of AFP and National Crime Authority (now Australian Crime Commission) telecommunications intercept records—1988, with added responsibilities of monitoring controlled operations in 2001 and auditing of surveillance device records in 2004
  
  
• Australian Capital Territory Ombudsman—1989
  
  
• Special Tax Adviser function created—1995
  
  
• responsibility for auditing the use of compliance powers by members of the Building Industry Taskforce—2004
  
  
• responsibility for assessing and reporting on the detention of long-term (two years or more) immigration detainees—2005
  
  
• Postal Industry Ombudsman responsibilities to be added in 2005–06.