User:Devin at Ombudsman WA/CF Sandbox Dec2020

Chris Field is the Western Australian Ombudsman and President-elect of the International Ombudsman Institute (IOI). A lawyer by profession, he has previously worked as a solicitor, consumer advocate, economic regulator and law professor.

Early Years
Chris was raised in Breakwater, Geelong and attended Geelong East Primary School and Belmont High School in Geelong.

Career
Chris Field is the Western Australian Ombudsman. In 2020 he was elected President of the IOI. It is the first time in the 42-year history of the IOI that an Australian has been elected President. The IOI, established in 1978, is the global organisation for the cooperation of 205 independent Ombudsman institutions from more than 100 countries worldwide. The IOI is organised in six regional chapters - Africa, Asia, Australasian and Pacific, Europe, the Caribbean and Latin America and North America.

His appointment also marks the first time that a President has been elected by IOI members. Historically, Presidents were elected by the IOI World Board. A new voting system, applicable for the first time in the 2020 election, provided the opportunity for every IOI member globally to vote for the position of President.

Chris will commence his four year term as President at the rescheduled 12th World Conference and General Assembly of the IOI in Dublin, Ireland.

Chris is currently Australia’s longest serving ombudsman and has previously served on the IOI World Board as Second Vice President between 2016 and 2020, Treasurer between 2014 and 2016 and President of the Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region between 2012 and 2014.

In addition to his role as Ombudsman, he concurrently holds the roles of Energy and Water Ombudsman, Chair, State Records Commission and Chair, Accountability Agencies Collaborative Forum (a forum comprised of: the Ombudsman; Chief Psychiatrist; Information Commissioner; Commissioner for Equal Opportunity; Inspector of Custodial Services; Commissioner for Children and Young People; Director, Health and Disability Services Complaints Office; Director, State Records Office; Director of Equal Opportunity in Public Employment; Chief Mental Health Advocate; and the Commissioner for Victims of Crime).

Chris has a particularly strong theoretical and practising interest in administrative law. He has for the last fourteen years been an Adjunct Professor in the School of Law at the University of Western Australia where he teaches the advanced administrative law unit Government Accountability – Law and Practice, a course he founded with Professor Simon Young (co-author of the university textbook Lane and Young, Administrative Law in Australia). Chris is also the author of a range of publications on the ombudsman and administrative law.

His role as Ombudsman, and now IOI President, builds on a foundation of long-term legal practice and work as an economic regulator. He commenced his career as a lawyer at one of Australia’s leading commercial law firms, Arthur Robinson and Hedderwicks (now Allens Linklaters), having been articled to Professor Bob Baxt AO (among other things, a former Chair of the Trade Practices Commission, the forerunner to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission). A strong interest in trade practices and consumer law led him to the position of Executive Director of the Consumer Law Centre Victoria (a non-government consumer advocacy organisation with a legal practice for vulnerable consumers) and Chair of the Australian Consumers’ Association (publisher of Choice magazine). After seven years, he left his position as Executive Director to commence as an inaugural Member of the Economic Regulation Authority, Western Australia’s independent economic regulator of electricity, gas, water and rail.

Chris holds Arts and Law (Honours) degrees.

Chris has indicated that during his four year term as President, he is committed to:


 * 1) Contributing leadership on behalf of the global ombudsman community with respect to issues that nations face regarding integrity and good governance;
 * 2) Focussing the work of the IOI on promoting access to justice, contributing to the rule of law, advancing human rights, protecting minorities, first peoples and the vulnerable, standing strongly with ombudsmen under threat and supporting developing democracies and emerging ombudsman institutions;
 * 3) Further developing the IOI’s relationship with the United Nations, including promoting the Venice Principles.  The Venice Principles, adopted by the Venice Commission (the Council of Europe’s Commission for Democracy through Law), represent the first, independent, international set of standards for the Ombudsman institution. They are the equivalent of the United Nation’s Paris Principles which set out the standards against which national human rights institutions are judged; and
 * 4) Ensuring inclusion of every IOI region and member so that all voices are fairly represented and heard.

Major Investigations
During his term, the office of the Ombudsman has undertaken the following major own motion investigations with all the powers of a standing Royal Commission (published on the Ombudsman Western Australia website):


 * Preventing suicide by children and young people 2020 (2020)
 * Local government collection of overdue rates for people in situations of vulnerability: Good Practice Guidance (2018)
 * A report on giving effect to the recommendations arising from Investigation into ways to prevent or reduce deaths of children by drowning (2018)
 * Investigation into ways to prevent or reduce deaths of children by drowning (2017)
 * A report on giving effect to the recommendations arising from the Investigation into issues associated with violence restraining orders and their relationship with family and domestic violence fatalities (2016)
 * Investigation into issues associated with violence restraining orders and their relationship with family and domestic violence fatalities (2015)
 * Investigation into ways that State Government departments and authorities can prevent or reduce suicide by young people (2014)
 * Investigation into ways that State Government departments can prevent or reduce sleep-related infant deaths (2012)
 * Planning for children in care: An Ombudsman’s own motion investigation into the administration of the care planning provisions of the Children and Community Services Act 2004 (2011)
 * The Management of Personal Information – good practice and opportunities for improvement (2011)
 * 2009-10 Survey of Complaint Handling Practices in the Western Australian State and Local Government Sectors (2010)

During his term, every recommendation made by the Ombudsman has been accepted.

Books/Articles
A selection of books and articles published by Chris Field:

Chris has also held editorial positions including National Convenor, Editorial Board, Alternative Law Journal and Section Editor, Australian Business Law Review.
 * Field, C, ‘The Ombudsman in the 21st Century’, The University of Western Australia Law Review, 2018, 43(1), pp. 118-123.
 * Field, C, ‘The Role of the Ombudsman in Reviewing Child Deaths and Family and Domestic Violence Fatalities’, AIAL Forum, 2018, 88, pp. 48-59.
 * Field, C, ‘The Fourth Branch of Government: The Evolution of Integrity Agencies and Enhanced Government Accountability’, AIAL Forum, 2013, 72, pp. 24-33.
 * Field, C, ‘The Role of the Western Australian Energy Ombudsman and its Relationship with Regulators, Industry and Consumers’, Australian Business Law Review, 2013, 43, pp. 43-47.
 * Field, C, ‘Behavioural Economics and Consumer Policy’, Australian Business Law Review, 2012, 40(5), pp. 382-386.
 * Field, C, ‘The Law of Contract’, In C. Beadnell (ed.), The Law Handbook 2012: Your practical guide to the law in Victoria, 2011, Fitzroy Legal Service, Fitzroy, Victoria, pp. 550-558.
 * Field, C, ‘Recent Evolutions in Australian Ombudsmen’, AIAL Forum, 2010, 63, pp. 4-12.
 * Field, C, Alternative Dispute Resolution in Victoria: Supply-Side Research Project – Research Report, 2007, Department of Justice, Victoria.
 * Field, C, ‘Reviewing Australian Consumer Protection’, Australian Business Law Review, 2007, 35(1), pp. 46-53.
 * Field, C, ‘Interacting with consumer advocates’, Australian Journal of Public Administration, 2007, 66(1), pp. 96-103.
 * Field, C, ‘Creating a prosperous and fair Australia: the role of consumer advocacy’, Alternative Law Journal, 2007, 32(1), pp. 37-41.
 * Field, C, Current Issues in Consumer Law and Policy, 2006, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, New South Wales.
 * Field, C, Consumer Advocacy in Victoria, Research Paper No.7, 2006, Consumers Affairs Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria.
 * Field, C ‘Competition, consumer protection and social justice – providing a consumers’ voice’, Australian Business Law Review, 2005, 33(1), pp. 51-54.
 * Field, C, ‘Foreword’, Do the poor pay more? A research report, 2005, Consumer Law Centre Victoria, pp. 1-3.
 * Field, C, ‘A balancing act’, Consuming Interest, 2005, 103, pp. 28-31.
 * Field, C, ‘Accountability in the modern state: Three steps forward and two steps back?’, Alternative Law Journal, 2004, 29(1), pp. 2-3.
 * Field, C, ‘Fair for all’, Consuming Interest, 2004, 99, pp.16-17.
 * Field, C, ‘The Death of Unfair Contracts’, Alternative Law Journal, 2004, 29(1), pp. 35-40.
 * Field, C, ‘Fair’s fair’, Consuming Interest, 2003, 97, pp.16-19.
 * Field, C, ‘Pay day lending: an exploitative market practice’, Alternative Law Journal, 2002, 27(1), pp. 36-41.
 * Field, C, ‘The sharks are circling – A report on pay day lending’, Australian Business Law Review, 2002, 30(2), pp. 148-151.
 * Field, C, ‘Preface’, In Wilson, D, ‘Payday Lending in Victoria – A research report’, 2002, Consumer Law Centre Victoria, p. 7.
 * Field, C, ‘Regulating lawyers – protecting the consumer interest’, The Law Institute Journal, 2000, 74(11), pp. 76-80.
 * Field, C., Lowe C., & O’Rourke A, ‘Consumer Law Centre Victoria’, In M. Paddon & R. Small (eds.), Competition: In whose interest? The socio-economic impacts of National Competition Policy, 1999, Public Interest Advocacy Centre and Public Sector Research Centre, pp.151-177.
 * Field, C, ‘Further changes to the Former Small Claims Tribunal Victoria’, Australian Business Law Review, 1999, 27(2), pp. 164-165.
 * Field, C, ‘Codes of Conduct – The new face of consumer protection’, Alternative Law Journal, 1999 24(3), pp. 157-159.
 * Field, C., & Giddings J, 1998, ‘A history of legal aid in Victoria’, In J. Giddings (ed.), Legal Aid in Victoria’ – at the crossroads again, Fitzroy Legal Service Inc., pp. 20-34.
 * Field, C, ‘New Super-tribunal to Replace Small Claims Tribunal’, Australian Business Law Review, 1998, 26(3), pp. 221-223.
 * Biondo S., & Field, C, ‘Back to the future: 25 years of Fitzroy Legal Service’, Alternative Law Journal, 1997, 22(6), pp. 282-288.
 * Field, C (ed.), Where you stand: Legal rights information for people under 18, 6th Edition, 1996, Fitzroy Legal Service, Fitzroy, Victoria.

Speeches
A selection of speeches by Chris Field:
 * "Ombudsman in a changing world: paradigm shift and challenges", International Seminar Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Thai Ombudsman, Bangkok Thailand, February 2020
 * "Practices and recent development of the International Ombudsman Institute", 31st Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region Conference, Taipei Taiwan, September 2019
 * "Final Remarks from the IOI", 30th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region Conference, Auckland New Zealand, November 2018
 * "The role of the Ombudsman in promoting good governance and protecting human rights", Plenary Meeting of the Control Yuan, Taipei Taiwan, August 2018
 * "Opening address by the Second Vice President of the International Ombudsman Institute", 29th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Region Conference, Perth Western Australia, November 2017
 * "The evolution of the Ombudsman", Opening Session,11th World Conference of the International Ombudsman Institute, Bangkok Thailand, November 2016
 * "The role of the Ombudsman in child death and family and domestic violence fatality reviews", Asia Pacific Coroners Society Annual Conference, Perth Western Australia, November 2016
 * "Introductory Address", 4th Australasian Conference on Child Death Inquiries and Reviews, Perth Western Australia, November 2014
 * "A Fourth Branch of Government? The Role and Evolution of Parliamentary Statutory Officers", Australasian Study of Parliament Group Annual Conference, Perth Western Australia, October 2013
 * "The Western Australian Integrity Coordinating Group", 10th International Ombudsman Institute World Conference, Wellington New Zealand, November 2012
 * "The integrity branch of government", A Public Lecture for La Trobe University, Melbourne Victoria, September 2012
 * "The fourth branch of government: the evolution of integrity agencies and enhanced government accountability", Australian Institute of Administrative Law National Forum, Adelaide South Australia, August 2012
 * "The role of the Energy Ombudsman", Financial Counsellors’ Association of Western Australia Annual Conference 2011, Perth Western Australia, September 2011
 * "The Ombudsman – Promoting integrity in decision making", Integrity Coordinating Group Forum, Perth Western Australia, June 2011
 * "The Ombudsman and the Constitution of Liberty", 26th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Regional Conference, Taipei Taiwan, March 2011
 * "Independence – A key principle", Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association Biennial Conference, Wellington New Zealand, May 2010
 * "The Ombudsman in the Integrity Framework", 25th Australasian and Pacific Ombudsman Regional Conference, Canberra Australian Capital Territory, March 2010
 * "Recent Evolutions in Australian Ombudsmen", Speech by the Ombudsman to the Australian Institute of Administrative Law National Forum, Canberra Australian Capital Territory, August 2009
 * "Accomplishing successful leadership through integrity", Public Sector Governance Conference, Canberra Australian Capital Territory, November 2008
 * "Keynote Address", Public Sector Management Program Graduation, Perth Western Australia, April 2008
 * "The Ombudsman, how performance is monitored, measured and demonstrated", Australian and New Zealand Ombudsman Association Conference, Melbourne Victoria, April 2008
 * "Early perspectives from Chris Field on his role as the Western Australian Ombudsman", Australian Institute of Administrative Law, Perth Western Australia, September 2007
 * "Integrity in the Western Australian Public Sector – current challenges and future directions", Integrity Coordinating Group Forum, Perth Western Australia, August 2007

All speeches available at: https://www.ombudsman.wa.gov.au/Publications/Speeches.htm