Kate Anderson – Senior Assistant Ombudsman

I started my career as a lawyer and have worked in the APS for over 15 years in a range of legal, policy and regulatory roles. Before joining the NSO, I worked at the Fair Work Ombudsman where I led a large program of work to address staff underpayments in universities.

I have a very strong commitment to fairness and integrity and work that makes a real difference in people’s lives. I am really excited about the opportunity to deliver a modern, trauma-informed and best practice complaints handling service.

Higher education is such an important opportunity for people to continue to explore their skills and interests and every student should have the chance to experience higher education in a way that empowers them to reach their full potential. It is critical to both a person’s individual success but also collectively to the prosperity of all of us.

The need for a centralised place for students to feel safe to raise their concerns and have them appropriately addressed has been demonstrated through so many different stories shared by brave students publicly and privately.

The NSO is an important service where complaints will be addressed using a range of approaches that will meet the needs of the students.

I want students to feel that the NSO is a safe and independent place for them to bring their concerns where they will be listened to, respected and empowered.

I hope that higher education providers look to the NSO as a trusted source of education and advice on complaints handling and dispute resolution both at a sector wide level and in relation to individual issues.

I want the NSO to be a place of continuous improvement and learning where we can contribute to the public’s understanding of the student experience and how that can be enhanced.

- Kate Anderson, Senior Assistant Ombudsman