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| Council of Australasian Tribunals | |
|---|---|
| Name | Council of Australasian Tribunals |
| Abbreviation | CAT |
| Formation | 1990s |
| Type | Professional association |
| Headquarters | Sydney |
| Region served | Australia and New Zealand |
| Membership | tribunals, judicial officers, administrative decision-makers |
Council of Australasian Tribunals is a professional association for judicial and quasi-judicial bodies across Australia and New Zealand. It promotes standards, training, and collaboration among administrative decision-makers, tribunal members, and tribunal administrators. The council engages with courts, universities, legislative bodies, and international organizations to influence tribunal practice and administrative justice.
The council emerged in the 1990s amid reforms associated with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (Australia), Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and comparative developments involving the High Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia, and the Supreme Court of New South Wales. Early convenings involved representatives from the Australian Law Reform Commission, Law Council of Australia, New Zealand Law Society, and the Judicial College of Victoria, reflecting influences from the Royal Commission processes such as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody and inquiries like the Cole Royal Commission. The council’s formation paralleled international trends seen in the United Kingdom with links to the Administrative Justice & Tribunals Council and comparators in the United States such as the Administrative Conference of the United States and Federal Administrative Law Judges. Over time the council expanded to include members from specialist tribunals such as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (Australia), AAT Security Appeals Tribunal practitioners, and representatives from the New Zealand Maori Land Court and Employment Tribunal (New Zealand).
The council is governed by an executive drawn from presidents, chairs, and senior members of tribunals including the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (Australia), Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal, South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Civil and Administrative Tribunal of the Australian Capital Territory, and New Zealand counterparts such as the Environment Court of New Zealand, Employment Court of New Zealand, and the Waitangi Tribunal. Membership comprises judicial officers, tribunal registrars, legal counsel, and academics from institutions like the University of Sydney, University of Melbourne, Australian National University, University of Auckland, University of Otago, Monash University, Griffith University, University of New South Wales, University of Queensland, Victoria University of Wellington, and University of Canterbury. Representative stakeholders include the Attorney-General of Australia offices, state attorneys-general, the New Zealand Ministry of Justice, bar associations such as the New South Wales Bar Association, civil liberties groups like the Australian Human Rights Commission and Human Rights Commission (New Zealand), and professional bodies including the Law Institute of Victoria and the New Zealand Law Society.
The council facilitates conferences, best-practice guidelines, and comparative research involving tribunals tied to statutes such as the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 (Cth), the Human Rights Act 1993 (NZ), and provincial instruments like the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998. It liaises with academic centres including the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration, Centre for Public Law (ANU), Melbourne Law School, and think tanks such as the Grattan Institute and New Zealand Productivity Commission. The council organizes forums featuring panelists from the High Court of Australia, Supreme Court of New Zealand, commissioners from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, chairs of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and international guests from the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Training programs are delivered in partnership with judicial educators like the Judicial College of Victoria, the National Judicial College (US), and university law clinics at La Trobe University, Deakin University, University of Western Australia, and Auckland University of Technology. Curriculum topics include procedural fairness drawn from precedents such as Briginshaw v Briginshaw and principles discussed in decisions of the Federal Court of Australia and the Court of Appeal of New Zealand. Workshops feature contributors from the International Association of Administrative Justice, the International Bar Association, the International Ombudsman Institute, tribunal chairs from the Ontario Landlord and Tenant Board, and experts from the European Court of Human Rights.
The council provides submissions to legislative reviews and inquiries conducted by bodies such as the Australian Law Reform Commission, the New Zealand Law Commission, parliamentary committees including the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee, and state-based tribunals oversight units. It advocates on issues intersecting with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth), Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), refugee law frameworks involving the Refugee Review Tribunal (Australia) history, and administrative justice reforms seen in jurisdictions like Canada and the United Kingdom. The council collaborates with advocacy organizations such as the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, Human Rights Law Centre, Auckland District Law Society, and indigenous bodies including Aboriginal Legal Service (NSW/ACT) and New Zealand iwi legal representatives.
The council publishes benchbooks, practice notes, and conference proceedings drawing on scholarship from the Australian Journal of Administrative Law, the New Zealand Law Journal, and monographs from publishers like Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and Thomson Reuters. Resources reference key cases from the High Court of Australia, Supreme Court of New South Wales, Court of Appeal (England and Wales), and New Zealand authorities, and incorporate comparative materials from the United States Supreme Court, Canadian Supreme Court, and the European Court of Human Rights. The council’s materials are used by tribunal members, regulators such as the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, and administrative scholars at the Australian National University College of Law.
Notable initiatives include national conferences with speakers from the High Court of Australia bench, collaboration on procedural reform projects with the Australian Law Reform Commission and the New Zealand Law Commission, and mentoring schemes linked to the Judicial College of New South Wales and the National Judicial College (US). The council’s impact is evident in harmonized practice notes across tribunals, enhanced professional development adopted by the Victorian Bar, and contributions to reform reports cited by the Commonwealth Parliament and state legislatures. Internationally, the council has engaged with the International Association of Judges, the Commonwealth Magistrates' and Judges' Association, and tribunals in Canada, United Kingdom, and Singapore to influence administrative justice practice.
Category:Legal organizations in Australia Category:Legal organizations in New Zealand