This investigation examines whether the Australian Department of Home Affairs has appropriate policies and procedures for consistent and fair decision-making in assessing Visa Application Charges refund requests for parent visas (noting particularly the high costs and long processing times).

This report followed an investigation into incidents of tax fraud committed by unauthorised third parties linking genuine taxpayer records to ‘fake’ myGov accounts in 2022. It found that myGov’s current security controls do not adequately protect people and that Services Australia’s ability to provide a co-ordinated response to customers reporting data breaches and fraud may...

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...

This report presents the results of inspections conducted by the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023, examining how law enforcement and integrity agencies access telecommunications data and store information.

Technological advances have made it easier for agencies to make automated decisions. However, it is well recognised that automated systems have the potential to significantly impact the rights and privacy of individuals.