The Public Regulation of Private Dispute Resolution: An Investigation into the Regulation of a Private Industry Ombudsman

Project Member(s): Stuhmcke, A.

Start year: 2002

Summary: Since 1990 private dispute resolution has become increasingly prevalent as Federal and State Goverment owned 'essential service' industries such as telecommunications, banking, health, electricity , gas and water have been privatised/corporatised. Commonly, the privatisation/corporatisation of industries has resulted in the creation of an industry funded ombudsman to resolve consumer complaints. This project aims to investigate how the performance of such ombudsmen is benchmarked/regulated and what this trend of using ombudsmen means for the consumer, the corporation and the law. Given that this area has not received sustained attention from Australian lawyers, this project is a unique opportunity to generate theoretical advances and practical guidance for policy makers applicable to essential service in all Australian jurisdictions.

FOR Codes: Administrative Law, Law not elsewhere classified, Law and Society, Electricity, Gas and Water Services and Utilities, Consumer affairs, Civics and citizenship, Justice and the Law not elsewhere classified, Access to Justice