Commonwealth Ombudsman

Government Ombudsman Servicesombudsman.gov.au

The Commonwealth Ombudsman is an Australian statutory oversight body, established in 1976, that independently investigates complaints against Commonwealth agencies and prescribed private sector organisations across nine specialist ombudsman roles, delivering free services to the public under parliamentary appropriation.

Company typePrivate
Founded1976
HeadquartersCanberra, Australia
Headcount51–100
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What Commonwealth Ombudsman does

The Commonwealth Ombudsman is a non-corporate Commonwealth entity established under the Ombudsman Act 1976 and headquartered in Canberra, Australia. It serves as the statutory independent oversight body handling complaints against Australian Government agencies and a defined set of prescribed private sector organisations, including private health insurers, registered postal operators, and education providers. The office operates as a portfolio agency of the Attorney-General's Department, reports to the Australian Parliament, and is led by Commonwealth Ombudsman Iain Anderson, who concurrently holds nine statutory ombudsman roles covering the Commonwealth, ACT, Defence Force, Immigration, Law Enforcement, National Student, Private Health Insurance, Overseas Student, VET Student Loan and Postal Industry portfolios.

Its core service is independent, free investigation and resolution of complaints, supplemented by audit and inspection of agencies, monitoring of places of detention under OPCAT, administration of the Public Interest Disclosure scheme, and Freedom of Information handling. Service delivery channels include an official website with 20+ translated language resources, a 1300 telephone helpline, an Indigenous Community dedicated line, and in-person office access. The office also conducts international capacity building, notably with DFAT support for the Indonesian Ombudsman, and holds director-level positions in the International Ombudsman Institute and the Australasia Pacific Ombudsman Region.

The business model is non-commercial: services are provided free to the public and the office is funded through parliamentary appropriations rather than fees, subscriptions, or commercial revenue. There is no disclosed revenue figure, no parent-company ownership interest beyond the Attorney-General's Department portfolio relationship, and no equity holders. Geographic scope is restricted to Australia, with statutory exclusions covering the Australian Taxation Office and intelligence agencies.

Commonwealth Ombudsman firmographics

Firmographics

Name: Commonwealth Ombudsman
Legal name: Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman
Website: https://ombudsman.gov.au
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1976
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 51–100 employees
Short description: The Commonwealth Ombudsman is an Australian statutory oversight body, established in 1976, that independently investigates complaints against Commonwealth agencies and prescribed private sector organisations across nine specialist ombudsman roles, delivering free services to the public under parliamentary appropriation.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

Commonwealth Ombudsman industry classification

Industry

Product category: Government Ombudsman Services
NAICS: Public Administration (92), Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities (922), Regulation, Licensing, and Inspection of Miscellaneous Commercial Sectors (926150), International Affairs (92812)
akta.pro primary industry: Education Ombudsman, Appeals & Complaints Offices (EDADAAAK)
akta.pro secondary industry: Central Government Policy, Strategy & Performance (incl. OMB-style functions) (BPAIAAAB)

Keywords

Government complaint handling
Ombudsman oversight services
Public administration investigation
Regulatory inspection services
Whistleblower protection oversight

Where Commonwealth Ombudsman is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Canberra
HQ country: Australia
HQ region: Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

Commonwealth Ombudsman business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Commonwealth Ombudsman product offering

Product offering

Core offering

The Commonwealth Ombudsman is an independent Australian Government agency that investigates and resolves complaints about Commonwealth government agencies and prescribed private sector organisations. It provides free complaint handling, audits and inspections, administers the Public Interest Disclosure (whistleblower) scheme, reviews Freedom of Information requests, and conducts National Preventive Mechanism visits to places of detention under OPCAT.

Product overview

The Commonwealth Ombudsman is a government oversight body offering complaint handling, investigation, and inspection services across multiple specialist roles. The organization operates as a single unified service that handles complaints about Australian Government agencies and prescribed private sector organizations. Key products include the core Commonwealth Ombudsman service plus specialized ombudsman roles: Private Health Insurance Ombudsman, National Student Ombudsman, VET Student Loans Ombudsman, Postal Industry Ombudsman, Defence Force Ombudsman, Immigration Ombudsman, Law Enforcement Ombudsman, and Overseas Students Ombudsman. Supporting services include Freedom of Information handling, Public Interest Disclosure oversight, and National Preventive Mechanism inspections under OPCAT.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Commonwealth Ombudsman complaint handling
Private Health Insurance Ombudsman
National Student Ombudsman
VET Student Loans Ombudsman
Postal Industry Ombudsman
Defence Force Ombudsman
Immigration Ombudsman
Law Enforcement Ombudsman
Overseas Students Ombudsman

Companies that use Commonwealth Ombudsman

Customer profile

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Commonwealth Ombudsman technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Commonwealth Ombudsman partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

Australasia Pacific Ombudsman Region (APOR)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA forum for cooperation and learning for Ombudsman and other integrity organisations in the Pacific and Australasia region. The Commonwealth Ombudsman participates in this regional forum.
International Ombudsman Institute (IOI)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA global organisation for the cooperation of more than 200 independent Ombudsman institutions from more than 100 countries worldwide. The Commonwealth Ombudsman is a member and the Iain Anderson serves as a Director of the Australasia and Pacific Region.
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Office works with DFAT to deliver capacity building activities to the Ombudsman Republic Indonesia, supporting the development of ombudsman functions in Indonesia.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Commonwealth Ombudsman competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security: Independent statutory oversight body reviewing the activities of Australian intelligence agencies — a function that sits adjacent to the Commonwealth Ombudsman's law enforcement oversight role.
Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC): Victoria's independent anti-corruption and integrity oversight body, comparable to the Commonwealth Ombudsman's oversight of public sector integrity, whistleblowing, and administrative conduct.
Australian Human Rights Commission: Federal independent statutory body handling complaints about discrimination and human rights breaches across both government and prescribed private sectors, comparable in independence and complaints remit.
Western Australian Ombudsman: Independent WA state ombudsman handling complaints about state government agencies, local governments, and universities, with a directly analogous statutory complaints mandate to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (UK): UK parliamentary ombudsman handling complaints about UK government departments and the NHS, with a closely analogous independent complaint-investigation mandate to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
Queensland Ombudsman: Queensland's independent statutory ombudsman for complaints about state and local government agencies, with a directly comparable jurisdiction and operational model to the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
NSW Ombudsman: State-level Australian ombudsman with a comparable statutory mandate to investigate complaints about NSW government agencies, comparable to the Commonwealth Ombudsman's federal agency role.
ACT Integrity Commission: ACT's independent integrity body investigating corrupt conduct by public officials, with overlapping jurisdiction with the ACT Ombudsman function that the Commonwealth Ombudsman also holds.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: Federal agency overseeing privacy, FOI, and government information handling. Overlaps with the Commonwealth Ombudsman's FOI review function and shares the federal independent oversight remit.
Victorian Ombudsman: Victorian state ombudsman investigating complaints about state government agencies and some private sector entities, mirroring the Commonwealth Ombudsman's complaint handling, investigation, and reporting functions.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Commonwealth Ombudsman financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Commonwealth Ombudsman leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Commonwealth Ombudsman funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Commonwealth Ombudsman M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Commonwealth Ombudsman

What does Commonwealth Ombudsman do?

Is Commonwealth Ombudsman a public or private company?

Commonwealth Ombudsman is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was Commonwealth Ombudsman founded?

Commonwealth Ombudsman was founded in 1976. It employs 51 to 100 people.

Where is Commonwealth Ombudsman based?

Commonwealth Ombudsman is headquartered in Canberra, Australia, in the Oceania region.

Who are Commonwealth Ombudsman's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security, Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC), Australian Human Rights Commission, Western Australian Ombudsman, Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (UK), Queensland Ombudsman, NSW Ombudsman, ACT Integrity Commission, Office of the Australian Information Commissioner and Victorian Ombudsman.

Does Commonwealth Ombudsman have an API?

No public API is recorded for Commonwealth Ombudsman.

What industry is Commonwealth Ombudsman in?

Commonwealth Ombudsman's product category is Government Ombudsman Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDADAAAK, Education Ombudsman, Appeals & Complaints Offices, with a secondary code of BPAIAAAB, Central Government Policy, Strategy & Performance (incl. OMB-style functions). Its NAICS code is 92.