Case studies

Compensation for a parcel seized by overseas customs authority

Namita* sent a parcel overseas with Extra Cover, which is optional protection sold...

Fee refund after withdrawing from concurrent study

Edward* was studying a bachelor-level course and wanted to study a trade at the...

Refund for unused private health policy

Geraldine* purchased a year of Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) from...

Risks in gathering and retaining information via surveillance devices

This year, we inspected how agencies handle and destroy information obtained through ...

Helping veterans with access to home services

A complainant contacted us as they were experiencing ongoing issues with the...

How much is too much?

A complainant approached us to complain that their business had been impacted by a...

What’s a reasonable refund?

A student enrolled with an Australian education provider and applied for a student visa...

Is the condition pre-existing?

A complainant joined a private health insurer. Four months after taking out cover...

The cost of miscommunication

A complainant approached our Office about an issue with a VET Student Loan she had...

Executive Committee deep dives

A standing agenda item at the EC meeting is a deep dive into a particular focus area of ...

Making sure people know where to complain

A complainant lodged a formal complaint about the conduct of an Australian Border...

Fixing incorrect information on file

A complainant applied to opt out of being an organ donor. They followed up by ...

Waiting for a visa

A complainant lodged a Carer visa application to care for their sister who has low vision...

Age pension suspension

A complainant made an in-person complaint to us about Centrelink. The complainant alleged...

Historic child support assessments

During our investigation of a complaint made to the Office in 2018, we became aware that...

Income apportionment

In February 2023, Services Australia and the Department of Social Services (DSS) told...

Taking Liberties

In early 2023, the Ombudsman asked the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs)...

More information for people filing for bankruptcy

In 2023, the Australian Financial Security Authority (AFSA) identified one of its...

Achieving outcomes for students

In mid-2023, the Office noticed an influx of media reports about the costs of student loans...

Reducing the risk for women in detention

During an OPCAT monitoring visit to an immigration detention centre, we identified...

Improving outcomes for people in long-term detention

Mr X has been held in immigration detention for more than a decade and is still awaiting...