Form · Administrative & Public Law
Complaint to the Commonwealth Ombudsman: preparation guide and complaint summary
How to decide whether the Commonwealth Ombudsman is the right body, what to do first, and how to prepare a clear, evidence-backed complaint for the online form, with a model complaint summary to adapt.
- Kind
- Form. A form to complete, or a guide to completing an official one.
- Where it applies
- Australia, Commonwealth, New South Wales, New Zealand
- AI use
- Yellow AI can help in set ways. A lawyer checks specific points before use.
- Law stated as at
- 17 October 2026
- Status
- Maintained. Checked against the cited sources on 17 October 2026.
- Version
- 1
- Source
- Link to the official form. Licence: © Commonwealth of Australia (Commonwealth Ombudsman). Online complaint form linked, not reproduced.
Where this comes from
The official form is published by ombudsman.gov.au; this page is a completion guide. Last checked on 2026-10-17.
When to use it
Use for complaints about the administrative actions of Commonwealth departments and prescribed authorities, such as delay, poor process, wrong advice or unfair treatment, after complaining to the agency. Do not use for ministers, courts, tribunals, State or local government, or where tribunal review is the better remedy.
How AI may be used
AI may help turn the client's file into a dated chronology and a concise complaint summary. The lawyer checks every fact against the documents, the client approves the complaint, and personal information stays in approved tools.
AI may
- Build a dated chronology of contacts with the agency from the client's emails, letters and call notes, with document references.
- Draft a complaint summary of under 500 words in the structure below for the lawyer and client to settle.
- List the documents to attach and any gaps in the record.
AI must not
- Must not overstate or add facts; every statement must trace to a document or the client's confirmed account.
- Must not enter the client's Centrelink, tax, visa, health or other personal records into a public AI tool or one that trains on inputs.
- Must not choose between an Ombudsman complaint and tribunal or court review without a lawyer assessing time limits and remedies.
The lawyer checks
- The agency is within the Commonwealth Ombudsman's jurisdiction and the action is not excluded by s 5(2).
- The client has complained to the agency first, or there is a good reason why not.
- Any tribunal or court review deadline is protected, because a complaint does not stop time running.
- The client has read and approved the complaint and consented to the Ombudsman contacting the agency.
Method: how the Green, Yellow and Red levels are decided. This is guidance for planning, not legal advice.
Official form
Open the official form. Always use the current version from the issuer. Licence: © Commonwealth of Australia (Commonwealth Ombudsman). Online complaint form linked, not reproduced..
Read the full text
The full text is for signed-in accounts. It is free. When you sign in you can:
- read the whole precedent, with its drafting notes beside it;
- copy it, or download it as a Word file or Markdown;
- add it to your firm’s knowledge base, so colleagues can find it;
- let the AI tools you connect read it from that knowledge base.
The summary, the law it rests on and the AI-use guidance above stay public. Privacy.
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