Dr Lynne Coulson Barr OAM commenced as Health and Community Services Complaints Commissioner on 18 February 2026.

Dr Coulson Barr served as the Queensland Health Ombudsman for four years from January 2022, delivering many notable contributions to protecting Queensland’s public health and safety, while also driving improvements to the quality and safety of health services.

She also brings valuable experience and insights from her role as the inaugural Mental Health Complaints Commissioner in Victoria, where she established a specialist statutory body with inclusive and accessible approaches to mental health complaints and safeguarding rights.

Dr Coulson Barr’s distinguished career includes leadership roles in statutory complaint, oversight and regulatory bodies, and in 2020 she was honoured with a Medal of the Order of Australia for her contributions to mental health, safeguarding frameworks and dispute resolution.

She is recognised nationally and internationally for her specialist expertise in designing and implementing accessible and inclusive complaint and review processes, as well as driving approaches to improving the safety and quality of services.

Dr Coulson Barr’s qualifications include a Doctorate of Law with research on statutory conciliation, and a Masters and Bachelor of Social Work.

She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, and an accredited mediator and conciliator under the National Mediator Accreditation System.