The 2023 Australasia & Pacific Ombudsman Region (APOR) Conference held its 35th annual Members’ meeting in Melbourne, Australia from 30 October to 1 November.
The conference that coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Victorian Ombudsman was themed ‘Through The Ombudsman Looking Glass: Now And Into The Future’ and was hosted by Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass OBE as Regional President.
Chief Ombudsman, Peter Boshier, facilitated a panel session on ‘Reflecting on the Role of an Ombudsman in a Crisis’ and spoke about his response to extreme weather events in New Zealand.
Other panel sessions included:
- promoting the importance of good governance and integrity;
- approaches to holding government to account (‘sticks, carrots, or both?’); and
- navigating the challenges and opportunities of artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in government oversight.
At the Members’ meeting, Mr Boshier was re-confirmed as an APOR Director alongside Western Australian Ombudsman Chris Field and Cook Islands Ombudsman Niki Rattle. Ombudsman Rattle will take up the role of APOR Regional President in 2024.
At the conference, APOR Members reflected on and reaffirmed their commitment to the Principles on the Protection and Promotion of the Ombudsman Institution.
Read the Communiqué adopted by the APOR members.
