What the official record says
This Act is the Ombudsmen (Cost Recovery) Amendment Act . This Act comes into force on the day after the date on which it receives the Royal assent. This Act amends the Ombudsmen Act 1975 (the ). The purpose of this Act is to amend the Ombudsmen Act 1975 to allow Ombudsmen to recover the costs of investigations from the agencies being investigated. After section 17C, insert: The Ombudsman may recover from an agency that is the subject of a complaint any costs associated with the investigation of that complaint. The Ombudsman must issue guidelines specifying the costs that can be recovered from agencies, and the circumstances under which charges will be imposed. This section does not apply to investigations initiated by an Ombudsman on their own motion, or referred by the House of Represent