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In 2003-04, the Office of the Tasmanian Ombudsman closed 165 complaints about the administrative actions of local government authorities. This was a 5.8% increase from the 156 complaints closed in 2002-03, and a 14.9% decrease from the 194 complaints closed in 2001-02.

In 2003-04, the Greater Hobart-Southern Region recorded the greatest number of complaints closed with 104, representing 63.0% of all complaints closed in the state, followed by the Northern Region with 41 (24.8%) and then Mersey-Lyell with 20 (12.1%). The Greater Hobart-Southern Region had the highest proportion of claims closed due to no defective administration (31.7%) and the highest proportion of claims substantiated or partly substantiated (15.4%).

	COMPLAINTS TO THE OMBUDSMAN, By closure reason(a): Tasmanian regions
		No defective administration	Substantiated (b)	Declined to investigate(c)	Discontinued (d)	Out of jurisdiction	Total
Region of local government authorities		no.	no.	no.	no.	no.	no.
2001-02
	Greater Hobart-Southern	36	12	19	30	9	106
	Northern	11	4	19	10	2	46
	Mersey-Lyell	15	5	7	13	2	42
	Tasmania	62	21	45	53	13	194
2002-03
	Greater Hobart-Southern	44	21	13	15	4	97
	Northern	11	-	14	10	2	37
	Mersey-Lyell	5	3	6	6	2	22
	Tasmania	60	24	33	31	8	156
2003-04
	Greater Hobart-Southern	33	16	11	38	6	104
	Northern	11	3	16	11	-	41
	Mersey-Lyell	2	1	6	9	2	20
	Tasmania	46	20	33	58	8	165
- nil or rounded to zero (a) Only includes cases which have been closed, and where the reason for closure has been ascertained/recorded. (b) Includes cases where the complaint was partly substantiated. (c) Includes cases where the ombudsman was incapable of making a determination. (d) Includes cases that lapsed or were withdrawn. Source: Office of the Tasmanian Ombudsman, Annual Report 2001-2002, Annual Report 2002-2003, Annual Report 2003-2004.