Over many years, the Commonwealth Ombudsman (the Ombudsman), Inspector-General of Taxation/Taxation Ombudsman (IGTO) and other oversight agencies have made observations and recommendations on best practices for telling people they have a debt to repay and working with them to arrange repayment of the debt. While time may pass, the general principles remain valid. Agencies should...

In December 2009 Ms A, a single mother with three children, complained to the ACT Ombudsman about having been on Housing ACT’s High Needs housing list for six months and not receiving any assistance from them. Ms A had been living in shortterm rental accommodation that she could not afford. She had fallen behind in...