Complaints about the Australian Taxation Office have risen sharply as the agency ramps up debt collection. The Tax Ombudsman received 2376 complaints in the six months to September, up 74 per cent on the same period last year. The office said it received 1358 complaints over that period, because the ombudsman's figures also included matters not involving the tax office. The ombudsman found the tax office acted reasonably in 63 per cent of debt collection complaints it investigated. Outstanding tax debt stood at $54.2 billion in 2024/25, with $35.9 billion owed by small businesses.
The University of Technology Sydney mishandled complaints made by Jewish students after an on-campus pro-Palestine protest, according to the National Student Ombudsman. The ombudsman has made seven recommendations to the university, including that it apologise to the students and review its on-campus protest policy. Two students received no response to their complaints, which breached the university's own policy, while others received a generic reply. The university said it had apologised and accepted its handling was inadequate.
The National Student Ombudsman has found the University of Technology Sydney failed to properly handle complaints from Jewish students after a pro-Palestine rally. Some students received no response, while others got generic replies. The ombudsman also found the university wrongly named the Australasian Union of Jewish Students in its review recommendations, damaging the group's reputation. Education Minister Jason Clare said the university had let Jewish students down and that universities must take complaints of racism seriously.
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Complaints to the ACT Human Rights Commission rose 21 per cent last financial year, with 2,068 lodged in 2025-2026. Complaints from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people rose by 50 per cent, and complaints about abuse and neglect of older people and people with a disability rose by a third. Commissioner Karen Toohey said some community narratives about vilification and racism were encouraging more complaints. Winnunga Nimmityjah CEO Julie Tongs said many people remain reluctant to report. Commissioner Penelope Mathew warned that staffing levels cannot meet demand.
Greens senator Jordon Steele-John says he is not on leave, despite Greens leader David Shoebridge saying he had accepted leave from the party room. Steele-John accused an unofficial faction within the Western Australian branch of leaking complaints about his conduct to the media in an attempt to oust him from the Senate. He said the complaints, which allege inappropriate behaviour towards women, are subject to an independent investigation. Steele-John said he was pressured by Shoebridge to request leave, calling it a bad call.
Greens senator Jordon Steele-John has taken leave from the party room after complaints triggered an independent review. The Nine newspapers reported that seven party members demanded an investigation into allegations he made inappropriate comments to women between 2017 and 2025. Steele-John rejected the claims and said they were made without specifics. He said he had referred them to the Western Australian Greens for a fair, independent process. The new Greens leader, David Shoebridge, accepted the leave request and said the matter must be resolved through a fair review.
