A lawyer by profession,[2] she spent her formative years in Melbourne, Australia, before taking her career overseas to Switzerland, Hong Kong, and the United Kingdom.
A champion of human rights and fairness, Glass left an indelible mark on the role of Ombudsman, overseeing investigations that held government agencies accountable and advocating for vulnerable communities.
After Glass’s career took her abroad for almost 30 years, she returned to Melbourne in 2014 and was appointed as Victorian Ombudsman by the Liberal government led by Premier Denis Napthine.
Glass regularly commented on the importance of her 10-year fixed, non-renewable term allowing her to act with complete independence, free from concerns about reappointment or political pressure.
[6] Under her leadership, the Ombudsman’s office became known for its expertise in independent, evidence-based investigations and its focus on systemic issues and human rights, ensuring that complaints were used to drive improvements in public administration.
Glass’s report revealed decades of negligence in dealing with abuse allegations and led to a public apology from Premier Daniel Andrews and other political leaders for the historic failures of the State to protect children.
[10] Glass’s investigation uncovered a litany of regulatory failures by the Department of Health, highlighting the vulnerability of the elderly residents, many of whom had lost not only their savings but also their dignity and independence.
The case became a symbol of the power of the Ombudsman to address bureaucratic failures and restore justice to those affected, and Lorraine himself was later awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his advocacy.
Her two investigations into the issue led to significant reforms, including the establishment of an arbitration function to resolve disputes more efficiently, and featured in the Four Corners program ‘Immoral and Unethical’ in June 2020.
In a series of reports, Glass argued that the Ombudsman’s office was uniquely positioned to take on the role of OPCAT inspections, given its existing powers and expertise in overseeing places of detention.
Her recommendations led to improvements in rehabilitation programs and a greater focus on reducing reoffending, although she remained critical of the government’s reliance on incarceration as a solution to social problems.
The most notable of these challenges arose from her investigation referred by the Legislative Council in November 2015 into the "Red Shirts scandal", where ALP members of Parliament were accused of misusing public funds for political campaigning.