Respected former judge appointed to oversee further complaints management reform

• Former District Court judge, Mr Michael Forde, has been appointed as the independent and eminent person to oversee the development of the complaints clearinghouse.
• This work will build on actions the government has already take to implement Professor Peter Coaldrake’s Let the sunshine in report recommendation, to establish a complaints clearinghouse.

The Premier has announced the appointment of former judge, Mr Michael Forde as the independent person to oversee the complaints management reform and chair a new Complaints Oversight Board.

A former District Court Judge, Mr Forde brings a wealth of knowledge with decades of legal and judicial experience. Admitted as a barrister in 1974, he served at the Bar of Queensland for 20 years. He was appointed to the District Court in 1995 where he served 14 years before retiring from the bench in 2009.

Mr Forde will chair the new Complaints Oversights Board, which will also include members from agencies involved in complaints management, like the Queensland Ombudsman, the CCC, and the Information Commissioner.

Mr Forde will be supported by the clearinghouse team to provide best practice in Queensland for accepting, acknowledging, assessing, tracking and resolving complaints.

Queenslanders with complaints about Government will have greater transparency about how their complaints are managed.

Quotes attributable to the Premier:

“In September I committed to implementing the clearinghouse and that an independent eminent person would be appointed to chair an oversight board,” the Premier said.

“Mr Forde’s appointment as that eminent person is an important step in this reform.

“Mr Forde brings with him a wealth of knowledge, with decades of legal and judicial experience, and is well respected for his integrity and his advice.

“The work of Mr Forde will enhance Queensland’s strong integrity framework and assure Queenslanders of our Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and integrity.”

Quotes attributable to Mr Michael Forde:

“This work is important and will give Queenslander’s greater confidence in how complaints are managed across Government.

“I am invested in addressing the current complexity and energised about finding ways to remove confusion and create an easier, transparent and customer centric approach to complaints for all Queenslanders.”

Short Biography

A University of Queensland graduate, Mr Michael Forde is a former Queensland District Court judge with over 20 years’ legal experience in Queensland and New South Wales.

Mr Forde has acted as a probity adviser and auditor and as a former Director of Transparency International in Australia – an anti-corruption group with both a local and international presence.

He is co-author of the book, Managing procurement: How to avoid corrupting the process, which included discussions on the rights of whistleblowers and the need to protect them.

He was Commissioner for the inquiry into the Queensland Rail New Generation Rollingstock concerning the failure to provide adequate access for people with disability.

He was most recently the Chair of the Queensland Accessible Transport Advisory Council. He is also a qualified mediator.

ENDS