Bevan Warner acknowledges that for most West Australians, the only thing they know about his predecessor was that he was partial to international travel.
In 2024 the Ombudsman's office was thrust into the public spotlight when the Corruption and Crime Commission probed former Ombudsman Chris Field's extensive international travel portfolio in the final two years of his 17-year tenure. Field resigned hours after the commission released a scathing report accusing him of serious misconduct for failing to seek ministerial approval for international travel in his role as head of the International Ombudsman Institute between 2022 and 2023.
Warner, who took over in May 2025, concedes morale at the organisation was "very low". He says the travel issue has been resolved, but that does not mean he and his team are not still travelling.
"I can't independently travel out of the country without the approval of the premier," he said.
"I don't have any plans to travel outside the country, I think the focus of the role should squarely be on WA."
His first trip was to the East Kimberley, and the office has been to 16 different regions in the last 12 months.
Warner, who was born and raised in WA, offers a colourful personal history. Out of school he studied philosophy, Latin and politics at UWA for about six weeks before quitting to surf for a year. He returned to university to study commerce, which he said was fashionable at the time.
"I self sabotaged after a couple of years. I did two and a half years and I realised that if I completed the degree, I'd probably end up an accountant," he said.
He describes a driving belief behind his work: "All powerful institutions, government, corporations, sporting codes, ultimately act in their own interest."