- The name of the Ombudsman will be abbreviated as ombud
- The Aviation White Paper was published on Monday
New efforts to protect passenger rights will be led by an “ombudsman,” not an ombudsman, the federal government’s Aviation White Paper revealed.
This shift to a gender-neutral perspective appears to be the first of its kind in an official government communication, a departure from other “ombudsman programmes” such as the Fair Work Ombudsman.
The term, which has Norse roots, does not appear in any major Australian or international dictionary.
Australia’s new ombudsman will oversee airlines and airports under a new plan to protect passenger rights.
The change has sparked criticism, with social media users calling it “woke” and “ridiculous.”
“The Labour Party calls it ‘Ombud’ instead of ‘Ombudsman’ to be gender neutral. This is getting ridiculous!” wrote one.
Another added: “It should just be ‘Om’ as the bud has masculine connotations.”
“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” added a third.
The Albanian government’s long-awaited white paper on aviation was released on Monday by Transport Minister Catherine King (left).
“They are so leftist, what a progressive joke! How weak are these people!” said another.
The Albanian government’s long-awaited Aviation White Paper, released by Transport Minister Catherine King on Monday, comes two years after the government announced plans to overhaul the aviation sector and set out long-term policies and reforms for the growth of the industry.
Under the plan, an independent agency to resolve disputes between airlines and passengers will be created in 2026.
The new body will have powers to compel airlines and airports to provide solutions to customers and will be responsible for publishing reports on their conduct.
It will also be asked to set out a framework for travellers’ rights, including when passengers are entitled to a cash refund for cancelled or delayed flights.
Ms King said that before the documents were published the government was focused on strengthening passenger rights.
“We know that airline and airport customers have had difficulty enforcing their rights under the Australian Consumer Law and this establishes a new independent ombudsman scheme to establish a charter of rights,” Ms King told the ABC.
“What has been happening with people is that they have struggled to get through to someone, often spending hours on the phone trying to understand what they are entitled to and the ombudsman system allows for that independent look, a complaints mechanism and sets out clearly what the expectations are for the conduct of airlines and airports when it comes to customer rights.”
Under the plan, an independent agency to resolve disputes between airlines and passengers will be created in 2026 (file image)
He said the Ombudsman would be legislated and would have powers to impose and enforce sanctions.
While it will not be able to receive complaints until next year, Ms King said her department would appoint an interim ombudsman to get things started while parliament considers the legislation.
“We want this to start as soon as possible,” he said.
‘We have heard loud and clear that people’s experience at our airports and on our airlines has not been what it should be or what they paid for.’
He said the interim ombudsman would immediately begin work on developing a “customer bill of rights” for passengers, and that the “scheme would be up and running next year”.