The Hodgman Liberal Government is investigating the feasibility of a single Civil and Administrative Tribunal for Tasmania to reduce duplication and improve access to justice.
A discussion paper released today identifies many advantages to the development of a single Tribunal for Tasmania and community, and stakeholder feedback is now sought on the proposal.
Tasmania is the only Australian jurisdiction that does not have a single tribunal and administrative appeals structure.
Currently within the Department of Justice alone there are 15 divisions which are responsible for various civil and administrative decision making regimes. These include the Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal, the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Tribunal, the Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, the Asbestos Compensation Tribunal, the Health Practitioners Tribunal, the Motor Accident Compensation Tribunal, the Guardianship and Administration Board, the Disciplinary Tribunal, the Property Agents Tribunal, the Mining Tribunal, the Mental Health Tribunal and the Land Valuation Court.
Most of these decision-making bodies have their own administrative and legislative framework, requiring a high level of resourcing and support that could be streamlined to deliver a more efficient and accessible service.
Reform of this kind to Tasmania’s civil and administrative decision-making processes has the potential to improve service delivery and consistency of processes, provide better access to justice, and reduce red-tape and duplication.
Any development of a single tribunal would ensure that the Tribunal continues to have access to the expertise required, and would focus on eliminating duplication of administration and support costs.
The Discussion Paper is available on the Department of Justice website www.justice.tas.gov.au and submissions will be accepted until 5pm Wednesday 30 September 2015.