Andrew Robb (Goldstein, Liberal Party, Chairman of the Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to associate the coalition with the earlier comments of the Special Minister of State regarding the death of Professor Jack Richardson. Professor Richardson of course was a distinguished law academic and the inaugural Commonwealth Ombudsman, from 1977 to 1985. He died recently at the age of 90.

Jack Richardson established the Commonwealth Ombudsman's office, overseeing the first critical years and guiding the office through substantial changes and growth both in jurisdiction and caseload. He was a man known for his intellectual rigour and his robust approach to public administration. I understand that in his earlier years, when he was seeking to establish a working relationship with the departments that he was then required to inquire into, following complaints from members of the public, he did take the opportunity to perhaps concern some of the departmental heads in 1982 when he ran his milk carton advertising campaign in the ACT. The slogan was 'Bamboozled by the bureaucracy? Call the Ombudsman'. He was a man of great contribution, a good man, a good Australian, and we convey our sympathies to his family and honour his life and wish his family all the best.