For years the NSW Ombudsman's annual report included an appendix showing what happened to every complaint about government departments, councils and prisons: closed at assessment, preliminary inquiries, or formal investigation, and if investigated, whether there was an "Adverse finding".
In 2001-02 the Office "made adverse findings in 20" of 33 formal investigations in that jurisdiction. From 2002-03 to 2008-09 the column held between 6 and 12. In 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 it held zero.
The 2017-18 report dropped the table. It said: "This year, we have not included these detailed statistics but have published them on our website." No count of findings against agencies appeared in the annual reports for the next five years. Counts returned in 2022-23, on a different basis: investigations finalised with findings of wrong conduct, 4, 8 and 8 in the three years to 2024-25.
Over the same years police and child protection work left the Office, so office-wide totals fell for reasons that have nothing to do with these complaints. The appendix tables did not include police or child protection work.
Sources: Annual Report 2001-02 p 13; appendix summary tables 2002-03 to 2016-17; Annual Report 2017-18 p 4; Annual Reports 2022-23 p 40, 2023-24 p 38, 2024-25 p 40.