contact with the AOB must be easy Austria-wide, including for those who are unable to present their matter of concern in a formalised manner. This is why there is a cost-free service number to contact the AOB. The consultation days in – and particularly outside of – Vienna make it easier for all those who would like to present their matter of concern in person. Despite the new responsibilities, this opportunity will not be curtailed in future but will be retained. AOB enables easier access to justice From the very beginning, the AOB has had the role of a “compensator” in the complex administrative system. It was not conceived as an alternative but as a complement to the system of traditional legal protection before the courts under public law. Effective enforcement possibilities of entitlements under the law, access to institutions, support in the enforcement of legal rights, as well as the availability of opportunities to attain legally binding decisions are absolutely essential, particularly in the area of protection against discrimination. But there are also other areas of action: For example, the competence of the AOB extends to the so-called public administration authorities acting as entities under private law, where neither the Constitutional Court nor the Administrative Court have any competence. Furthermore, the possibility of intervention by the AOB vis-àvis local and regional authorities, which participate in legal relations as holders of private rights and carry out public grants and subsidies, closes a gap. However, even in these cases, the principle of an “equality of arms” is realised with regard to form only. Civil law proceedings that do entail costs are the sole possibility in the case of informal rejections or inactivity or against inconsistent action. Therefore, the AOB often acts to avoid court proceedings. Independence creates obligation to maintain objectivity In order to be able to pursue these objectives appropriately, the AOB was granted independence under constitutional law. This protects the AOB against any kind of partisan influence – including but not limited to the political arena. The responsibility for the correspondingly objective fulfilment of its tasks is derived from this independence. The independence of the members of the AOB is embodied in the organisational provisions regarding distribution of tasks and its rules of procedure. Remedy of maladministration To the extent that a joint resolution (as a Board) is not required, the three members handle the matters that have been allocated to them in accordance with the distribution of tasks independently. If, after reviewing a complaint, the entire Board decides that this is a case of 14