Strategic review of the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman
Section 83 of the Ombudsman Act 2001 requires a periodic strategic review of the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman (Office).
Professor John McMillan AO (Reviewer) has been appointed by the Queensland Government to independently review the Office under approved terms of reference.
Public consultation is sought to inform the review of the Office’s functions and an assessment of whether the performance of the Office’s functions is being performed economically, effectively and efficiently.
Following the review, a report will be tabled in Parliament showing the reviewer’s findings. You can also view earlier strategic review reports of the Office.
The Office of the Queensland Ombudsman
The work of the Office contributes to fair and accountable public administration in Queensland.
The Office has several legislated roles:
- Under the Ombudsman Act 2001 (Ombudsman Act), the Office investigates complaints about the administrative actions and decisions of Queensland agencies and non-government entities that deliver government services to the community.
- The Ombudsman Act also requires the Office to provide advice, training, information or other help about ways of improving the quality of administrative practices and procedures.
- The Office has oversight responsibilities under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2010 (PID Act).
- The Inspector of Detention Services Act 2022 (IDS Act) commenced on 1 July 2023, which promotes the improvement of detention services and the humane treatment of detainees.
The Ombudsman and Inspector of Detention Services is an officer of the Queensland Parliament and reports to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee (JICSC) since November 2024.
The reviewer
The review is being conducted by Professor John McMillan AO. John has expertise in administrative and public law, and as a Commonwealth and State agency head as Ombudsman, Information Commissioner and Integrity Commissioner. He is an emeritus professor at the Australian National University.
Consultation paper
The consultation paper provides an overview of the matters the reviewer will be considering during the review and contains a copy of the terms of reference to seek community input on.
In addition to specific matters listed in the consultation paper, the reviewer broadly invites comment on whether the following functions are being performed economically, effectively and efficiently:
- The Ombudsman’s complaint and investigation function under the Ombudsman Act.
- The Inspector of Detention role conferred on the Ombudsman by the IDS Act.
- The Ombudsman’s oversight role of the PID Act.
The review invites your submissions and comments in response to this consultation paper and the terms of reference. You are not required specifically to address the consultation questions set out in the consultation paper.
Please be aware that it is not the purpose of this review to examine how the Office handled an individual complaint or the Office’s complaint or investigation findings.
Have your say
You may make a submission by:
- Emailing a copy to the Secretariat: oqo.strategic.review@justice.qld.gov.au
- Posting a hardcopy copy to: Secretariat Support
Strategic Review of the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman
C/- Office of the Deputy Director-General, Portfolio Governance and Executive Services
GPO Box 149
BRISBANE QLD 4001
Submissions are to be received on or by Friday, 28 November 2025.
The review will not be publishing submissions but may refer to them in an anonymised form in the report of the review.