“The Ombudsman shall be independent in the performance of his or her functions...”

Section 4 (1) Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004.

The Ombudsman for the Defence Forces investigates complaints by members and former members of the Defence Forces.

The Ombudsman is impartial. She is independent of the Minister for Defence, the Department of Defence and the military authorities.

The Ombudsman's task is to ensure that members, and former members, of the Permanent Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces have a rigorous, independent and fair appeal for complaints they believe have not been adequately addressed by the internal military complaints process.

The Ombudsman for the Defence Forces was established by law through the Ombudsman (Defence Forces) Act 2004 (PDF).