Administrative Appeals Tribunal Annual Report 2013 · Web viewThe Tribunal recorded an operating surplus for 2013–14, before taking depreciation into account, primarily as a result

Administrative Appeals Tribunal Annual Report 2013-14 [DOCX version]

Administrative Appeals Tribunal Annual Report201314

CONTACTING THETRIBUNAL

Adelaide Registry

11th Floor Chesser House

91 Grenfell St

ADELAIDE SA 5000

Tel 08 8201 0600

Fax 08 8201 0610

Email [email protected]

Brisbane Registry

Level 4 Harry Gibbs Building

Commonwealth Law Courts

119 North Quay

BRISBANE QLD 4000

Tel 07 3361 3000

Fax 07 3361 3001

Email [email protected]

Canberra Registry

Level 8, 14 Moore St

CANBERRA CITY ACT 2600

Tel 02 6243 4611

Fax 02 6243 4600

Email [email protected]

Hobart Registry

Edward Braddon Building

Commonwealth Law Courts

3941 Davey St

HOBART TAS 7000

Tel 03 6232 1622

Fax 03 6232 1601

Email [email protected]

Melbourne Registry

Level 16 HWT Tower

40 City Rd

SOUTHBANK VIC 3006

Tel 03 9282 8444

Fax 03 9282 8480

Email [email protected]

Norfolk Island Registry

c/- Supreme Court of Norfolk Island

KINGSTON Norfolk Island 2899

Tel 0011 6723 23691

Fax 0011 6723 23403

Email [email protected]

Perth Registry

Level 5 111 St Georges Tce

PERTH WA 6000

Tel 08 9327 7200

Fax 08 9327 7299

Email [email protected]

Sydney Registry

Level 7 55 Market St

SYDNEY NSW 2000

Tel 02 9391 2400

Fax 02 9283 4881

Email [email protected]

NATIONAL 1300NUMBER

You can call the AAT on 1300 366 700 from anywhere in Australia. You will be connected to the AAT office in your capital city. Residents of northern NSW (postcodes 24602490) and the Northern Territory will be connected to the Brisbane Registry. Callers from fixed phone lines will be charged at local call rates; calls from mobiles may cost more.

Non-English speakers

Call the Translating and Interpreting Service on 131 450 and ask them to call the AAT.

If you are deaf or have a hearing or speech impairment

Call us through the National Relay Service:

TTY users: call 133 677, then ask for 1300 366 700

Speak and Listen (speech-to-speech relay) users: call 1300 555 727, then ask for 1300366 700

Internet relay users:connect to the National Relay Service, then ask for 1300366 700

SMS relay users:call 0423 677 767 and ask for 1300 366 700

Video relay users: choose the available NRS video relay contact on Skypeand ask for 1300 366 700.

Hearing induction loops are available for use at our Registry counters, and in conference and hearing rooms.

Post

AATGPO Box 9955Your capital city

Or

AATc/- Supreme Court of Norfolk Island RegistryKingston, Norfolk Island 2899

Website

www.aat.gov.au

Annual Report201314

This report

An electronic version of this annual report is on the Tribunals website, www.aat.gov.au/Publications/AnnualReport.htm.

More information about the Tribunal is on the Tribunals website, www.aat.gov.au.

Photos on front cover: Graynoise, Leighton Hutchison

Commonwealth of Australia2014

With the exception of the Commonwealth Coat of Arms and any third party material, this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia licence (creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/au/deed.en).

To the extent that copyright subsists in third party material, it remains with the original owner and permission may be required to reuse the material.

The terms under which the Coat of Arms can be used are detailed on the following website:www.itsanhonour.gov.au/coat-arms/.

Content from this publication should be attributed as: Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Annual Report201314.

Enquiries regarding the licence, any use of this work, or any other queries about this report are welcome.

RegistrarPrincipal RegistryAdministrative Appeals TribunalGPO Box 9955SYDNEY NSW2001

Tel: 02 9391 2491Fax: 02 9391 2578Email: [email protected]

ISSN 1035-3161

Designed by ZOO AdvertisingTypeset by Ogle DigitalPrinted by New Millennium Print

Letter of transmission

Contents

Annual Report 2013141

Letter of transmission7

Contents8

Table of FIGURES10

Chapter 0112

The year inreview13

Presidents overview14

Registrars review18

201314 Highlights and achievements21

Chapter 0224

Overview of the Tribunal25

Chapter 0336

Our performance37

Chapter 0453

Our users and ourrelationships54

Chapter 0566

Our organisation and our people67

Financial statements82

Appendixes126

Appendix 1: Members of the Tribunal127

Appendix 2: Staff of the Tribunal160

Appendix 3: Tribunal jurisdiction163

Appendix 4: Applications, outcomes, listings and appeals statistics179

Appendix 5: Resourcing tables202

Appendix 6: Application fees205

Appendix 7: Decisions of interest209

Appendix 8: Speeches, publications and other activities222

Appendix 9: Other reporting requirements234

End matter237

Glossary238

List of requirements243

Index249

Table of FIGURESChapters

Table 2.1Tribunal membership, 30June201427

Table 2.2Executive Deputy Presidents/Senior Member, 30June201428

Figure 2.3Administrative structure of the Tribunal, 30June201429

Figure 2.4Case management process32

Table 3.8Deliverables targets and results,20131442

Table 3.9Key performance indicators and results,20131442

Table 3.11Percentage of applications finalised within time standards44

Table 3.12Freedom of Information requests46

Table 3.13Service standards47

Table 3.14Complaints to the Tribunal49

Table 3.15Issues raised in complaints to the Tribunal50

Table 3.16Applications relating to warrants, controlled operations and other functions considered by Tribunal members51

Table 3.17Examinations held under the Proceeds of Crime Act200252

Table 5.1Total actual expenditure on consultancy contracts68

Table 5.2Trends in staffing numbers71

Table 5.3Trends in compensation claims77

Appendixes

Table A2.1Employment by registry, 30June2014160

Table A2.2Equal employment opportunity data, 30June2014160

Table A2.3Employment status and arrangements, 30June2014161

Table A4.1Applications lodged and applications finalised,201314179

Table A4.4Percentage of applications finalised without a hearinga193

Table A4.5Outcomes of applications for review of a decision finalised in201314193

Table A4.7Alternative dispute resolution processes, interlocutory hearings and hearings conducted by the Tribunal196

Table A4.8Constitution of tribunals for hearings197

Table A4.9Appeals against decisions of the Tribunal By jurisdiction198

Table A4.10Outcomes of appeals against Tribunal decisions By jurisdiction199

Table A5.1Tribunal resource statement,201314202

Table A5.2Expenses for outcome203

Table A6.1Fee revenue summary: total, refunded and forgone206

Table A6.2Reduced fees paid207

Table A6.3Applications for which no fee paid where otherwise payable207

Table A8.1Speeches and presentations222

Table A8.2Competition adjudication and training226

Table A8.3Publications228

Table A8.4Other engagement activities229

Table A9.1Trends in non-campaign advertising234

Table A9.2Environmental performance reporting234

Chapter 01The year inreview

Presidents overview

Speaking at the launch of the Merits Review Special Edition of the University of Queensland Law Journal in October2013 I reflected on the fact that every year, while perhaps tens of thousands of Australians will seek judicial review of administrative decisions, hundreds of thousands of Australians apply for one or another form of merits review.

Following the Administrative Appeals Tribunals establishment in 1976, it became a model for merits review that has been drawn on across the Commonwealth and in most states and territories. After nearly 40 years the Tribunal still operates largely without fanfare offering accessible, informal and relatively cheap processes where those who are affected can challenge the merits of administrative decisions.

Merits review in the Tribunal is undertaken by independent members supported by qualified and skilled alternative dispute resolution practitioners and the Tribunals other registrars and support staff. The Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 allows the Tribunal to review challenged decisions and, if a better decision could have been made, to make the correct or preferable decision.

These important rights are undervalued because Australians now take them for granted. That is understandable but illusory. While merits review seems firmly built into the architecture of the Australian system of government it remains exclusively the product of statute. To retain the support of the public and the Parliament, the Tribunal is keenly aware that it must remain responsive to the obligations set out in section 2A of the AAT Act: that is to ensure that its review functions continue to be economical, prompt and fair.

Practice and procedure development

The past 12 months have seen the Tribunal build rob