NSW Ombudsman

Before an AI makeover, there needs to be more oversight, transparency and a strong dose of AI literacy.

“We worry that referring to ‘responsible AI’ risks obscuring the real questions about responsibility for AI.” Got a bad feeling about this…

The NSW ombud reminds public servants about the need for impartiality on social media, including positive posting about government policy.

NSW’s watchdog agencies received almost 1000 public interest disclosures in the 2020-21 financial year – mostly from heads of public sector organisations.

Data from 2005 to 2019 show ‘clear variations’ in the risk of a child in NSW dying by region and across different socio economic groups.

The NSW ombud says Corrective Services NSW had legal authority to conduct completely naked strip searches of three children in 2019, but the manner was oppressive.

Senior New South Wales public servant Paul Miller has been appointed as the state’s next ombud, replacing Michael Barnes.

The paper is the final report on the inquiry into the funding arrangements for five integrity bodies: the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission (LECC), the NSW Electoral Commission, the NSW Ombudsman, and the NSW Audit Office.

The New South Wales Ombudsman has called on the state government to finalise its proposed whistleblowing reforms so the public sector can build a culture that encourages public servants to speak up when they see wrongdoing.

The New South Wales Ombudsman’s Office says that while the ombud’s office is ‘doing what it can to optimise its own efficiency’, its current funding allocation is ‘insufficient to deliver our required statutory obligations’.

The latest report from NSW ombud Michael Barnes revealed 1,538 reports of wrongdoing were made under the Public Interest Disclosures Act 1994 in 2018-19. Of these public interest disclosures, 422 were made to public sector bodies including government departments, local councils, aboriginal land councils, and state universities. This was a 30% increase from the previous year.

The Audit Office of New South Wales has been asked to run the ruler over the financial arrangements and management practices of four integrity agencies, including the two anti-corruption commissions. Auditor-general Margaret Crawford was asked to run the four performance audits in a single special request from the Special Minister of State, Don Harwin, who […]

The Department of the Prime Minster and Cabinet has published a guide for handling complaints involving children and “creating child safe cultures”.  Prompted by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, the guide outlines how to develop, implement and maintain a complaint-handling system that prioritises child safety and promotes young voices in decisions that affect them.