Delivering a “New Administrative Law”: Commonwealth-Queensland ombudsman cooperation, 1976–1981

David J. Turton*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    Abstract

    Australia’s so-called “New Administrative Law” reforms revolutionised citizen– government interaction in the 1970s and 1980s, with initiatives such as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and the Commonwealth Ombudsman. Previous studies have focused on the political and policy foundations of these accountability systems, neglecting the subsequent role of politics in enabling these agencies to meet difficult service delivery challenges. This article investigates the decision of the Commonwealth and Queensland governments to create a shared ombudsman office in Brisbane in 1979, briefly noting changes to this agreement by 1981 under new Queensland Ombudsman leadership. Intergovernmental negotiations are examined as a case study in the importance of professional relationships to the wider success of the “New Administrative Law” agenda. It explores the problems that the newly created Commonwealth Ombudsman faced when delivering administrative justice within a federation of states. Despite disagreements between the parties in other policy areas, Queensland and the Commonwealth could cooperate, when encouraged by the goodwill of the ombudsmen themselves. Other factors aiding this process included: the federal government's early vision for a Commonwealth Ombudsman with staff nationwide, the positive example set by Western Australia's shared ombudsman facilities with the Commonwealth, and the need to plan for joint ombudsman investigations.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)216-234
    Number of pages19
    JournalJournal of Australian Studies
    Volume39
    Issue number2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 3 Apr 2015

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