Complaint resolution in government owned corporations and privatised utilities : Some legal and constitutional conundrums

Book chapter

Zifcak, Spencer Michael. (2017). Complaint resolution in government owned corporations and privatised utilities : Some legal and constitutional conundrums. In From Bureaucracy to Business Enterprise Legal and Policy Issues in the Transformation of Government Services pp. 173-190 Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315195988-11

Publication dates
Authors	Zifcak, Spencer Michael
Abstract	This chapter examines a number of issues and problems concerning the legal and constitutional position of one part of the regulatory framework, the industry ombudsman. The hybrid nature of government owned corporations and the public responsibilities of private service providers have presented new constitutional puzzles. The chapter focuses on a particular case-study to introduce the relevant dilemmas and conundrums. It determines whether and to what extent an industry ombudsman concerned with the resolution of consumer complaints about the delivery of essential services can and should be situated within that doctrine. The chapter considers the ombudsman's legal accountability by reference to the review of its decisions by the courts. It outlines in some detail the nature and operation of the innovative Victorian ombudsman scheme. The chapter also examines how, if at all, the Energy and Water Ombudsman of Victoria (EWOV) may be required to provide such an account. EWOV's duty to account politically for its activities and actions is almost non-existent.
Keywords	Area Studies; Law; Politics; International Relations
Page range	173-190
Year	01 Jan 2017
Book title	From Bureaucracy to Business Enterprise Legal and Policy Issues in the Transformation of Government Services
Publisher	Routledge
Place of publication	United Kingdom
Edition	1
ISBN	978-113871766-4
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)	https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315195988-11
Web address (URL)	https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315195988-11/complaint-resolution-government-owned-corporations-privatised-utilities-legal-constitutional-conundrums-spencer-zifcak
Open access	Published as non-open access
Research or scholarly	Research
Publisher's version	License All rights reserved File Access Level Controlled
Output status	Published
Online	30 Sep 2019
Publication process dates
Completed	2010
Deposited	27 Feb 2024
Additional information	Copyright © Michael J. Whincop 2003.

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