The office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman has been handling complaints from the public for thirty years. Over half a million complaints have been investigated and dispatched during that period, covering all areas of government. Some complaint issues have remained constant throughout the period. New issues and problems continually emerge as well, reflecting the substantial changes over time in the complexity and responsibilities ofgovernment.

Thirty years of complaint handling provides a good vantage point from which to see both the problems that arise within government, and the need for complaint-handling systems to deal with those problems.

That was the theme for the opening session of the seminar to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the office. Prof.John McMillan presented ten lessons about complaint handling that emerged from thirty years of listening to what the public has to say aboutgovernment.

• Complaints are a fact of life.
• Complaints provide a window on systemic problems.
• Complaints can stimulate organisational improvement.
• Complaints must be taken seriously by the leaders of an organisation.
• Complaint handling is suitable for all areas of business and government.
• Complaint handling is a specialist task.
• Good complaint handling can defuse a crisis.
• Complaint work transforms and improves government.
• The price of failure is high.
• We can all do better.