What is the role of an Official Visitor?
Prison Official Visitors
Our role as Prison Official Visitors is to:
- look into the conditions and behaviour of prisoners and detainees, and how they are treated
- receive and investigate complaints made by prisoners or detainees.
We report to the responsible Minister at least once a year on the enquiries we have made.
We aim to resolve complaints and other issues during our visits through discussions with prison management.
Mental Health Official Visitors
A Mental Health Official Visitor checks on the care and treatment of patients in state-run approved mental health facilities, for example at public hospitals.
An Official Visitor can also receive complaints from patients who are being provided care and treatment under the Mental Health Act 2013 (Tas).
How can I make a complaint to an Official Visitor?
We are not a crisis service. If the matter is urgent, or if you are in crisis, you should raise it directly with the person responsible for your care at the facility.
To make a complaint, you can:
- call us on 1800 001 170 (free call from a landline in Australia, but call charges may apply from a mobile phone)
- talk to an Official Visitor who is visiting a facility
- request an Official Visitor visit a patient or prisoner/detainee in an approved hospital or prison facility – this can be done by using the contact details on our website, or by asking a staff member at the facility
- fax a written complaint to (03) 6173 0231
- download a complaint form (PDF, 73.3 KB) (opens in a new tab) to fill in and send to us
- submit a complaint online by using our online complaint form (opens in a new tab)
- email a complaint form to us at officialvisitors@ombudsman.tas.gov.au
- post a complaint form to us at: Official Visitor Program, GPO Box 960, HOBART TAS 7001.
Explain your concerns simply and clearly. Tell us what outcome you are hoping to achieve. Please include details of the facility you are in.
If you wish to discuss making a complaint with us, you are welcome to call us on 1800 001 170 and ask to speak to an Official Visitor. Other ways to contact us can be found on the contact page on our website.
How will my complaint be handled?
We will assess your complaint within 48 hours. Where appropriate, the Official Visitor will contact the mental health or prison facility to try to resolve the complaint.
Your complaint will be investigated by an Official Visitor at the next visit to your facility. Official Visitors will usually speak to you as part of the visit.
For prison complaints, if an issue cannot be resolved at the prison, it may be referred to the Ombudsman for further investigation. People in custody can also make a complaint directly to the Tasmanian Ombudsman at any time.
For mental health complaints, if an issue cannot be resolved at the mental health facility, it may be referred to the Health Complaints Commissioner for further investigation. People in mental health facilities can also make a complaint directly to the Health Complaints Commissioner at any time.
What premises are visited by an Official Visitor?
Prison facilities that we visit
- Hobart Reception Prison
- Southern Remand Centre
- Ron Barwick Centre
- Mary Hutchinson Centre
- Risdon Prison Complex
- Launceston Reception Prison
Approved mental health facilities that we visit
- Mental Health Inpatient Unit, Royal Hobart Hospital
- Emergency Department, Royal Hobart Hospital
- Paediatric Unit, Royal Hobart Hospital
- Roy Fagan Centre
- Millbrook Rise Centre
- Wilfred Lopes Centre
- Northside Mental Health Clinic, Launceston General Hospital
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Launceston General Hospital
- Paediatric Unit, Launceston General Hospital
- Spencer Clinic, North West Regional Hospital
- Department of Emergency Medicine, North West Regional Hospital
- Paediatric Unit, North West Regional Hospital
Is an Official Visitor independent from the Department of Health (Mental Health Services)?
The Official Visitors operate independently from the Department of Health. To ensure their independence, they are supported by the Office of the Ombudsman, who is also Tasmania’s Health Complaints Commissioner.