Ombudsman SA is committed to being accessible and responsive to complaints from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people about South Australian state and local government agencies. We were engaged to create an animation that would help raise awareness within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities about Ombudsman SA and its role as an independent, free complaints pathway.

Our challenge was to communicate what can be a complex and unfamiliar process in a way that felt clear, approachable and culturally respectful. We needed to explain what people can make a complaint about, what happens throughout the complaints process and the different ways people can contact Ombudsman SA — without making the information feel intimidating or overly bureaucratic.

We developed a 2D animated story that begins with everyday life across South Australia, reflecting family, community and connection to Country. From there, we introduce the idea that when something doesn’t go right with government, people have rights and there is someone who will listen.

We broke the complaints process into simple, easy-to-follow steps, from first raising an issue with the relevant agency through to Ombudsman SA reviewing the matter, connecting people with the appropriate body or, where required, undertaking a formal investigation. We used visual storytelling to support the voiceover, helping audiences understand the process without relying on dense information or government terminology.