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Ombudsman Deborah Glass is investigating whether the discretion exercised by the department has struck the right balance.Credit:Joe Armao

They include children wanting to come home to be with their parents after their school in NSW closed,and a woman trying to return home to care for her adult daughter after she was permitted to travel to NSW for a funeral.

The state’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton declared all of NSW an “extreme risk zone” and Victoria closed its border on July 9.

Ms Glass said there could be systemic issues about departmental decision-making.

“The situation is increasingly urgent with the extended lockdown. Some people are telling my office they face effective homelessness,stuck interstate with nowhere else to go,”Ms Glass said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Ombudsman said the complaints raised concerns about the discretion the department was exercising.

Other complaints were from a student who wanted to return home to be with his family for health and wellbeing,and a woman who wanted to go home to her farm to care for her animals.

Ms Glass said her investigation would be swift to assist the Department of Health to identify urgent improvements if necessary.

She said the decisions the department made were difficult,requiring officials to balance individual rights with the safety of the broader community.

“But it will be important to ensure that balance has been fairly assessed,” Ms Glass said.

Premier Daniel Andrews on Wednesday welcomed the Ombudsman’s investigation,but said the public servants behind the permit system had a difficult job.

“The teams of public servants who make those decisions,they take their responsibilities very seriously. They’re all doing their best,” Mr Andrews said.

He also flagged more positive announcements about getting Victorians home from NSW.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said families stuck interstate should be allowed to quarantine at home.

“Victorians shouldn’t be allowed to be languishing interstate,that’s completely unfair,” Mr Guy said.

A Health Department spokeswoman said the department would cooperate fully with the Ombudsman’s review of the cases.

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