Queensland’s Ombudsman and the Human Rights Commission both received quiet funding top-ups on Tuesday. This came amid a need to “ensure the sustainability and independence” of the Ombudsman,and to address “base funding shortfalls” and a backlog of complaints at the commission.
The Ombudsman’s office received numerous complaints related to COVID-19 measures,such as border closures.Matt Roberts/Getty Images
The Ombudsman’s office,headed by Anthony Reilly,investigates complaints about state government decisions. While not experiencing a sharp uptick in overall complaints in the past two years,many of those it did receive related to COVID-19 measures,such as border closures and hotel quarantine exemptions.
The commission,under Scott McDougall,reported a significant jump in pandemic-related inquiries and workloads. Both have powers to after an investigation,and they were looking at complaints about state border restrictions.
A 2018 strategic review of the Ombudsman flagged a “deteriorating” budget position for the office and recommended its requests for additional funding be supported by the government.
This week’s budget papers contain a net increase in funding of $2 million over four years,with $585,000 in ongoing funding from 2025-26 to “ensure the sustainability and independence” of the Ombudsman’s work.
The Queensland treasurer has revealed this year's state budget,announcing new levies for mining,gambling and large corporate companies.
The agency’s full-time-equivalent staffing figure of 63 will carry into the 2022-23 financial year. A new Inspector of Detention Services function,to be established after passing parliament,has also been allocated $9.4 million for its first four years of operation and $3 million in ongoing annual funding.
Meanwhile,the Human Rights Commission received a $340,000 top-up to its budgeted funding from the government this financial year “to address a base funding shortfall and to respond to an increased demand for services”.
Across the next four financial years,the government will boost the commission’s to almost $1.6 million,along with an additional $5 million to increase frontline capacity to respond to complaints,particularly pandemic-related issues.
The commission’s annual funding beyond that will continue at an increased figure of $1.2 million.
Service delivery statements published within the budget state that increasingly complex matters were dragging down the commission’s ability to meet targets around the percentage of complaints resolved by conciliation,with the sheer number also hurting clearance rate targets.
The pandemic also affected the ability of the Ombudsman to meet targets around investigation timeframes.
Despite repeated comments about resource or workload issues,no such staff or funding top-ups were detailed in the budget for including the Integrity Commissioner,Office of the Independent Assessor,the Queensland Audit Office,or the Information Commissioner.
The Audit Office and Information Commissioner also failed to meet some of their performance targets around timeliness and service satisfaction.
Both the Crime and Corruption Commission and the Integrity Commissioner have recently argued – so far unsuccessfully – from the government of the day.
The budget also revealed the Public Service Commission was expected to undertake a “review of recruitment and selection practices within the public sector”,in line with broader employment reforms within the government,to “ensure fair and transparent processes based on merit”.
Selection panel processes for were quietly altered in June last year,in a move PSC chief Rob Setter has said was sparked by matters considered by the CCC.
Treasurer Cameron Dick also doubled down on his efforts to suggest the budget’s new and increased taxes on big business were,amid a second day of criticism from the Opposition on Wednesday.
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