Ombudsman Service Standards

The services provided by the Ombudsman aim for the highest quality, to be open to scrutiny and accountable. As such, the Office has developed a service charter (or Standards) against which our services can be measured. These service standards are provided in detail below.

Those We Serve:

The Ombudsman’s clients are:

• Community members of the Northern Territory.
• Government Agencies and Statutory Authorities.
• Local Government and Community Government Councils.
• The Northern Territory Police Fire & Emergency Services
• The Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory.

Our Commitment:

The Ombudsman and staff are committed to the following core values:

• Fairness
• Independence
• Professionalism
• Accountability
• Accessibility
• Timeliness
• Courtesy and Sensitivity

Fairness

We promise that:

• You will be treated fairly and with respect.
• You will be given the right to be heard during the complaint process.
• Our decisions will be balanced, taking into account all available evidence and points of view.
• We will explain our decision and reasons to you.
• You can request a review of any decision or conclusion we have reached about your complaint.

Independence

We promise to be independent, objective and impartial.

Professionalism

You can expect us to:

• Be ethical and honest.
• Aact with integrity and consistency.
• Respect your confidentiality.
• Be courteous, helpful and approachable.
• Be trained and competent and provide information about our role and processes.
• Declare any interest which conflicts with our duty to properly determine complaints.
• Assist you by providing appropriate referrals to another organisation if your complaint is beyond our jurisdiction.
• Work as a team to provide you with the highest standard of service possible.

Accountability

We will strive to:

• Act lawfully and in accordance with the Ombudsman (Northern Territory) Act.
• Treat complaints against this Office seriously and with integrity.
• Be open and transparent in all our dealings.
• Be responsible for the appropriate use of our resources and will act on a complaint according to the nature and seriousness of the grievance and the reasonable needs of other complainants.
• Give you the opportunity to comment and provide feedback on our services by completing and returning anonymous survey forms.

Accessibility

• Our office hours are 8.00 am to 4.30 pm Monday to Friday.
• We will visit regional centres on a regular basis.
• Toll free telephone access within the Northern Territory will be maintained.
• Information material about our work will be freely available.
• We are trained in the use of translation and interpreter services and can arrange these services if required.
• We will use plain language in communicating with you inour letters and during interviews.
• You are welcome to bring a friend or mentor with you to talk with us, or to assist you in lodging your complaint.
• You can have someone else lodge a complaint on your behalf. However, you will need to authorise that person to act for you. 
• Wheelchair access is provided at both Darwin and Alice Springs Offices.
• We will give you the name of a contact officer from our office whom you can contact to check on progress of your complaint at any time.
• You can lodge a complaint in person, in writing, by telephone or fax, or via the Internet. However, you will need to consider the risks of disclosing personal or confidential information on the Internet.

Timeliness

Where possible:

• Your complaint will be acknowledged within 7 days and you will be promptly informed of the action to be taken.
• Telephone, facsimile and email messages will be answered promptly, usually within 24 hours.
• Letters will be acknowledged within 7 days of receipt.
• You will be informed of the progress of the complaint regularly and usually every 6-8 weeks.
• We will be flexible in our approach and try to achieve a conciliated resolution of the complaint when appropriate.
• We will respond promptly to requests for information.
• If we cannot meet these benchmarks in your case you will be informed.

Courtesy and Sensitivity

We will always strive to:

• Identify ourselves to all people who contact us.
• Include in our correspondence your correct name, contact details and a file reference number.
• Respect your privacy.
• Seek your permission before obtaining any necessary information.
• Provide you with high quality information and advice.
• Explain complex information to you in clear and simple language.
• Give you reasons for our decisions and recommendations.

Our Expectations of You

All we ask is that you:

• Treat us with respect and courtesy.
• Be clear and frank in your dealings with us.
• Provide us with as much relevant information when requested so that we can serve you better.
• Keep us informed of any new developments that have a bearing on your complaint.

Our Commitment to Continuous Improvement

We are fully committed to providing the best service we possibly can and are always looking for opportunities to improve our services to the highest standard. We will monitor and review our services periodically in order to provide the optimum service to you. As your views and opinions are important to us, we are open to comments or suggestions for improving our services and will try and resolve any grievance you may have about the quality of our services. You can telephone, write or make an appointment to see us to discuss your concerns. We will also conduct client feedback and satisfaction surveys and report our activities in our annual report.

How We Will Respond to Your Complaint

The Ombudsman’s Office is an office of last resort. Our legislation requires a person to, wherever possible, refer their complaint back to the agency complained about, to try and resolve the matter quickly. However, if you still remain dissatisfied with that approach, you can contact us with your complaint for further assistance. We will first assess your complaint to decide whether or not it is within the Ombudsman’s power to investigate. If it is not, we will assist you in referring your complaint to the appropriate agency or other organisation. When considering whether to investigate a matter ourselves or hand it over to another agency, we are obliged to consider the public interest and the capacity of the agency to deal with the matter. We also do not determine guilt. Only a court or tribunal can decide if someone is guilty or not guilty.

If we accept your complaint, it will be assigned to a case officer who, depending on the complexity or seriousness of the complaint, will make informal enquiries with the agency to try and resolve it expeditiously. In certain cases, a formal investigation may be necessary. We will keep you regularly informed of progress of your inquiry or investigation. At the end of our investigation, we will report our findings to you and the agency. Where appropriate, we may make recommendations to improve the agency’s administrative practices and/or policies or even seek an apology from the agency if appropriate.

What the Ombudsman Cannot Do

The Ombudsman must comply with the terms of the Ombudsman (Northern Territory) Act. The Act states that the Ombudsman cannot:

• Provide legal advice or representation;
• Act as an advocate; or
• Investigate complaints about decisions made by a court or tribunal operating judicially;
• Look into complaints about politicians, most employment disputes, racial vilification, decisions of the Courts, the Coroner, the Director of Public Prosecutions or actions of private individuals or businesses.

April 2006