COAT NSW 2023 CONFERENCE
Tribunals in Challenging Times: Justice, Equity and Quality
24 November 2023 and Online
Location
Pullman Sydney Hyde Park
This year’s conference – Tribunals in Challenging Times: Justice, Equity and Quality – will involve the customary mix of topics designed to enhance knowledge and skills relevant to work in tribunals. With our society under increasing stress from diverse pressures, including cost of living and housing affordability and security, an area of focus will be how tribunals deal with people experiencing disadvantage. This program is designed to contribute to the compulsory CPD needs of NSW legal practitioners who sit as Tribunal members, as well as mediators for the National Mediator Accreditation System.
The Program is available online, with early bird rates extended until 3 November. Please click here for further details and registration.
Conference Resources
COAT NSW Newsletter - September 2021
COAT NSW
Designing tribunal spaces How can architecture contribute to effective communication?
David Tait, Professor, Justice Research University of Western Sydney
Dr Romesh Singam
A/ Professor Hadia Haikal Mukhtar B Sc Hons; MBBS; FRACGP; LLB Hons.
Recent Developments of interest to Tribunal Members - AUA case studies
Robin Creyke
Tribunals as the Generic Face of Justice: a challenge for the 21st Century
Professor Robin Creyke
Anne Wallace, University of Canberra
COAT
The Queen Elizabeth II Courts of Law
Justice Alan Wilson
COAT SA News - Issue 13 (May 2017)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 14 (May 2018)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 15 (May 2019)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 16 (Aug 2020)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 17 (Aug 2021)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 18 (Sept 2022)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 19 (Sept 2023)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 20 (Oct 2023)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - Issue 21 (Mar 2024)
COAT SA
COAT SA Bulletin - Issue 1 of 2024 (April)
COAT SA
Key features of the new Administrative Review Tribunal (ART)
The Hon Justice Emilios Kyrou AO. President of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
COAT SA Bulletin - Issue 3 of 2024 (Upcoming COAT SA Events)
COAT SA
COAT SA Bulletin - Issue 2 of 2024 (COAT National Conference Ballot)
COAT SA
COAT SA Bulletin - Issue 6 of 2024 (Membership Renewal)
COAT SA
COAT SA Bulletin - Issue 5 of 2024 (Ethical Dilemmas and Tribunals)
COAT SA
COAT SA Bulletin - Issue 4 of 2024 (July Update)
COAT SA
COAT SA Bulletin - Issue 1 of 2025 (COAT National Conference Ballot)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - September 2024 (issue 23)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - June 2024 (Issue 22)
COAT SA
COAT SA News - April 2025 (issue 24)
COAT SA
COAT NSW Newsletter - March 2023
COAT NSW
Ethical Dilemmas and Tribunals
Margaret Castles
COAT NSW Newsletter - September 2022
COAT NSW
Kate Millar, ART & Deputy President Judge Brian Gilchrist, SAET
COAT NSW Newsletter - May 2024
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - December 2024
COAT NSW
COAT National
International framework for tribunal excellence
COAT National
Workplace Office Design Guidelines
COAT National & IA Group
Tribunal Independence - 2013 Edition
The Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration Incorporated ( AIJA'); Associate Professor Pamela O'Connor Monash University; sponsored and supported by COAT National
International Framework for Tribunal Excellence April 2014
COAT National
Oral Decisions - Some Suggestions
Justice John Chaney
Duncan Kerr, COAT Chair
COAT Best Practice Guide to Tribunal Independence in Appointments - Discussion Paper
COAT National
COAT NSW Newsletter - March 2022
COAT NSW
REGISTER OF AUSTRALASIAN TRIBUNALS
COAT NATIONAL
COAT NSW Newsletter - September 2023
COAT NSW
Australia and New Zealand Tribunal Excellence Framework Ð 3rd Edition June 2025
COAT NATIONAL
COAT National
A Better Complaint Handling System for Tribunals
Pamela OÕConnor Adjunct Professor, Sir Zelman Cowen Centre, Victoria University, Melbourne Under the supervision of a Project Steering Committee of the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration chaired by the Hon Duncan Kerr SC, Chev LH
Australia and New Zealand 'Tribunal Excellence Framework'
COAT National
Dealing with the querulent and the vexatious - the good, the bad and the ugly
Justice Murray Kellam
COAT NSW Newsletter - March 2025
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - May 2025
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - Jan 2025
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - March 2015
COAT NSW
COAT National
COAT NSW Newsletter - December 2019
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - August 2025
COAT NSW
COAT Bulletin - Issue 4 - December 2023
COAT NSW 2023 Whitmore Lecture - The Hon Justice Beech-Jones (E-News)
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - April 2021
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - May 2020
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - August 2020
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - August 2019
COAT NSW
COAT Bulletin - Issue 2 - June 2023
COAT Bulletin - Issue 3 - September 2023
COAT Bulletin - Issue 1 - March 2023
COAT Bulletin - Issue 4 December 2022
COAT NSW 2025 Whitmore Lecture - Professor Tania Sourdin BA, LLB, LLM, PhD FAAL
COAT NSW
COAT NSW Newsletter - August 2024
COAT NSW
COAT NSW 2024 Whitmore Lecture - Honourable Justice Julie Ward (E-News)
COAT NSW
COAT Bulletin - Issue 2 - June 2024
COAT Bulletin - Issue 1 - March 2024
COAT Bulletin - Issue 1 March 2022
COAT Bulletin - Issue 2 May 2022
COAT Bulletin - Issue 3 September 2022
Diversity & Indigenous Clients: VCAT Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Project
Adrian Sculthorpe, Senior Manager, PwC's Indigenous Consulting
Building organisational competency in a diverse world
Anukool Sathu Diversity & Inclusion Consultant
Conference Program: 2017 COAT National & COAT (NSW) Joint Conference. Tribunals: Enablers of Justice
n/a
Whitmore Lecture 2016 - Judicial Review & the Shifting Sands of Legal Unreasonableness
The Honourable Justice MJ Beazley AO
John Billings, Senior Member, AAT, Migration and Refugee Division
Procedural Fairness - cases involving people from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
John Billings, Senior Member, AAT, Migration and Refugee Division
Procedural Fairness - cases involving people from a culturally and linguistically diverse background
John Billings, Senior Member, AAT, Migration and Refugee Division
Natural Justice and Registered Health Practitioners
Elizabeth Kennedy, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Natural Justice and Registered Health Practitioners
Elizabeth Kennedy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Elizabeth Kennedy General Counsel and Corporate Secretary Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Ensuring Procedural Fairness - Tribunals to Courts
Presentation by Justice Greg Garde AO RFD President, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Matthew Carroll, President, Mental Health Tribunal
Matthew Carroll, President, Mental Health Tribunal
Jill Toohey, Senior Member, Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Susan Woodford, District Registrar, General & Other Divisions, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Melbourne
Susan Woodford, District Registrar, General & Other Divisions, Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Melbourne
The Unreasonable, Querulant and Vexatious as Self Represented Litigants
Dr Grant Lester Consultant Forensic Physchiatrist Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health
Access to Justice in Multicultural Australia
The Honourable Wayne Martin AC Chief Justice of Western Australia
Communicating effectively with people with cognitive disability
Melinda Smith Coordinator Cognitive Disability Services
Diversity & Indigenous Clients: AAT Adelaide Registry
Ian Phillips, Acting District Registrar, AAT; Roula Karzis-Wyatt, Member, AAT
Client needs and satisfaction' Tribunal Excellence Framework
Keryn Negri, Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
Keryn Negri, Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (VCAT); Mary Shortland, Executive Director, Queensland Civil & Administrative Tribunal (QCAT); Sian Leathem, Principal Registrar, Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT)
Applying the Framework for Tribunal Excellence & Measuring Performance
Michael Vallance, Manager, International Framework for Court Excellence,Supreme Court of Victoria and Manager, International Framework for Judicial Support Excellence, Court Services Victoria
Applying the Framework for Tribunal Excellence & Measuring Performance
Michael Vallance, Manager, International Framework for Court Excellence,Supreme Court of Victoria and Manager, International Framework for Judicial Support Excellence, Court Services Victoria
Accessibility - Tribunal Excellence Framework
Mary Shortland, Executive Director - Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT)
n/a
Working effectively in a diverse world
Anukool Sathu Diversity & Inclusion Consultant
Tribunals and Self-Represented Parties
Helen Shurven
Tips for Writing Clear, Logical and Concise Decisions
Justice Debra Mullins (Supreme Court of QLD)
The need to raise the bar: court interpreters as specialised experts*
Associate Professor Sandra Hale
Recent Developments in Tribunal Law
Joanna Davidson, Sixth Floor Selborne Wentworth Chambers
Judy Atkinson
Flexibiilty, Informality and Despatch - Striking the balance in Tribunal decision-making
Keith Mason AC QC Council of Australasian Tribunals Conference
Jill Toohey, Senior Member, Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Conference Program: 2016 Deliberation and Dilemmas in the Digital Age
COAT NSW
Bernadette Steele, Senior Member, Human Rights Division, VCAT
Big Sister is watching - Orwellian overtones or no cause for alarm
Peta Stilgoe
Conference Program: 2016 Between CATs and Courts
COAT NATIONAL
Conference Program: 2015 Dreams & Realities: The Evolution of Tribunals
COAT NATIONAL
n/a
Chris Edmonds SC
The Honourable Justice Stephen Gageler
A Canadian perspective on tribunal independence
Professor Philip Bryden Faculty of Law, University of Alberta Visiting Professor, Adelaide Law School
n/a
The role of neurobiology in achieving a "Comfortable Satisfaction"
Dr Hayley Bennett
Effective Questioning for Eliciting Information from Witnesses in Tribunal Hearings
Angela Dixon, PHD Children's Hospital, Westmead Sydney
Drawn from Experience How to live the good life
Matthew Johnstone
Sarah-jane Morris, Special Counsel
Conference Program: 2015 COAT National Registrar & Executive Officer Conference - Mind over Matters
n/a
Accessibility of Tribunals for Vulnerable or Disadvantaged Participants
Matthew Carroll, President, Victorian Mental Health Tribunal
Big Sister is watching - Orwellian overtones or no cause for alarm
Peta Stilgoe
Looking Over Your Shoulder, Tribunals in Australia
Mark Robinson SC
Looking Over Your Shoulder, Tribunals in Australia
Mark Robinson SC
Bernadette Steele, Senior Member, Human Rights Division, VCAT
Bernadette Steele, Senior Member, Human Rights Division, VCAT
Disciplinary Hearings in the Regulated Professions: Procedural Fairness Issues
Elisabeth Wentworth, Deputy Head of List, Review and Regulation List, VCAT
Disciplinary Hearings in the Regulated Professions: Procedural Fairness Issues
Elisabeth Wentworth Deputy Head of List, Review and Regulation List, VCAT
Justice Greg Garde AO RFD President, Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Affording Procedural Fairness: Culture and interpreters in Tribunal Hearings
John Longo, Member, AAT
The Rule against Bias - Ongoing Evolution and Practical Conundrums for Tribunals
Prof Simon Young USQ School of Law & Justice UWA Faculty of Law
Christopher Matthies, Executive Director, Strategy & Policy
Phil Farrelly - Systems Artchitect
Firm but Fair - the Art of a Good Tribunal Hearing
Jan Redfern, Deputy President & Division Head of the Migration & Refuge Division of the AAT
Evidence from a digital device
Miiko Kumar, Jack Shand Chamber
Anne Darroch, Prinicpal Disputes Referee
Tensions in the Obligations of Tribunal Members
The Honourable Alan Wilson QC
Role of Reviewing Courts in Administrative Decision Making
The Honourable Justice Buchanan
Access to Justice, Law Schools, and Clinical Legal Education - The VCAT Self- Help Clinic
Professor Bryan Horrigan BA, LLB (Hons) (Qld), DPhil (Oxon)
COAT Bulletin - Issue 4 - December 2024
Accessible Tribunal Technologies
Dr Kate Anderson
Practical Strategies to Improve your Digital Accessibility
Dr Kate Anderson
The importance of storytelling and narrative in tribunal decision-making
Bernard McCabe, Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Conference Program: 2020 COAT NSW Webinar
COAT NSW
Conference Program: Responsive, resilient, reskilled - tribuanls in times of change
COAT National
23rd Annual COAT Conference, Responsive, resilient, reskilled - tribunals in times of change
Justice John Griffiths
Whitmore Lecture 2019 - The Foundations of Administrative Law
The Honourable Chief Justice James Allsop AO
Justice Rachel Pepper, Land and Environment Court of NSW
n/a
Working with interpreters in Boards and Tribunals
Susan Burdon-Smith, VCAT
The Justice Project - Improving access for groups withi particular communication needs
Leonie Campbell, Law Council of Australia
Push, Pull or Nudge? How Nudge Theory can offer new ways for tribunals to get the message across
Justice Iain Ross AO
Managing stress and maximising wellbeing for decision makers on tribunals, boards and panels
Carly Schrever, Judicial College of Victoria
Exploring Online Dispute Resolution'
Carolyn McSporran, VCAT
Judge Paul Lakatos
Conference Program: 2021 Accessible and inclusive justice - What can tribunals do better?
COAT NSW
Whitmore Lecture 2021 - Balancing informality with natural justice and the work of tribunals
The Honourable Virginia Bell AC
COAT Bulletin - Issue 3 - September 2024
COAT Bulletin - Issue 3 - September 2025
COAT Bulletin - Issue 4 - December 2025
Carolanne Barkla and Chris Boundy from the Aged Rights Advocacy Service
Alternative Dispute Resolution in Tribunals: Post Pandemic
Her Honour Judge Katrina Bochner
COAT Bulletin - Issue 2 - June 2025
Whitmore Lecture 2024 - Jurisdictional Error & Materiality
The Hon. Justice Julie Ward
DECISION WRITING: BEYOND ADEQUACY
Acting Judge of Appeal John Griffiths
COAT NSW 2022 Whitmore Lecture - Prof Megan Davis
Prof Megan Davis
Whitmore Lecture 2023 -The Constitution and State Tribunals
The Hon Justice Beech-Jones
Reality Testing or Manipulation?
Franca Petrone
Conference Program: 2022 COAT National Conference - Tribunals: Reset and Reinvigorate
COAT National
Working Effectively with High Conflict People
Megan Hunter, MBA, Co-founder / CEO
Statutes as formal literature: choice and constraints in their readingÊ
The Hon Duncan Kerr, SC FAAL Chev LH
Conference Program: 2019 COAT National Conference. Communicating Justice: Tribunals in the Community
COAT
Working effectively & ethically in an environment of high emotion
Hugh Dillon
Working effectively & ethically in an environment of high emotion
Hugh Dillon
Advance Australia Where? Making sense of the Census
Denise Carlton, ABS Chief Demographer
Providing Access to Justice: Taking Tribunals to the Community
Dr Bertus De Villiers (Member: SAT)
Dealing with distressed and volatile people
Dr Nick O'Connor
Conference Program: 2018 COAT NSW Annual Conference. Efficient, Informal and Fair
n/a
Access to Justice, Administrative Tribunals and the Rule of Law
The Hon Robert French AC
Whitmore Lecture 2017 - Separation of powers - Dialogue and deference
The Honourable Justice John Basten
Tribunals, diversity and the LGBTIQ community
Rodney Croome and Robin Banks
Office of the Chief Mental Health Nurse, DHHS
Overview of eCourts/Tribunal Plan (WA)
Martin Jackson, Acting Director, Strategic Business Development, Court & Tribunal Services, Western Australian Department of the Attorney General
On-Line Resolution Tool (Guardianship and Administration) )
Mark Street, Executive Officer, State Administration Tribunal (WA)
The Honourable Justice Greg Garde, President, Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
Implementing VCAT's Digital Strategy - key challenges and risks
Edward Busuttil, IT Director, Strategic Projects, VCAT
Mary Shortland, Executive Director - Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT)
Future of Law and Justice 'The Impact of Technological Change on Courts and Tribunals'
Professor Tania Sourdin, Dean, University of Newcastle Law School
Automating Justice- Rights and Liberties in a Digital World
Prof Genevieve Bell
Sue Salthouse
Conflicts of Interest - the Rule Against Bias
Laura Beacroft and Peta Spender ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal ANU Law School
Using Emotional Intelligence to Enable a Successful Tribunal Hearing
Leanne Warner
James Emmett
Making Complex Decisions - Tools for Tribunal Members
Christia Ludlow
James Emmett
The Hon T F Bathurst AC
Tribunals of the Future - Toward Digital Tribunals?
The Hon. Justice Greg Garde AO RFD, President VCAT
Tribunal Physical Safety and Security
Sian Leathem
Thrills, Spills and Skills: Communicating Clearly
Gina Frampton
Dr Liz Richardson, Dr Genevieve Grant and Dr Janina Boughey with Dr Becky Batagol
The High Court's decision in Burns v Corbett
Dr Anna Olijnyk
Technology in the Federal Courts
Warwick Soden
Restoring Community Relations in a Digital Age - the Community Justice and Tribunals System
Principal District Judge Bala Reddy
Restoring Community Relations in a Digital Age - the Community Justice & Tribunals System (CJTS)
Principal District Judge Bala Reddy Community Justice & Tribunals Division State Courts, Singapore
Ex tempore decisions - or saving your sanity
Lorraine Walker, Chief Magistrate and Chief Coroner of the Australian Capital Territory
e-Mediation - Trial & Outcomes
Peter Johnstone, ADR Manager, QCAT
Access to Justice Report - The Role of Tribunals
Angela MacRae Angela MacRae Commissioner, Productivity Commission
Dr Richard Kemp University of New South Wales, Dr Helen Paterson The University of Sydney
Reasonableness and Reasons - Lessons for Good Decision-making
Kiri Mattes A/Special Counsel Administrative Law Crown Solicitor's Office NSW
Conference Program: 2014 COAT NSW Annual Conference. The Modern MemberÕs Guide to Decision Making
n/a
The Honourable Chief Justice Wayne Martin AC
Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers and Humans Do
Robyn Bradey
Intercultural Communication and Tribunal Craft
The Hon. Jennifer Boland AM
Form and Funciton in Tribunal Design
Professor David Tait
Form and Funciton in Tribunal Design
Glenn Turnbull
Form and Funciton in Tribunal Design
Julia Haraksin
Assessing Risk and Capacity - Advice from the Experts
Dr Matthew Large
Sarah-jane Morris
Elizabeth Granger
Personal Values: inevitable aids or obstacles to neutrality?
Keith Mason AC QC
Tribunals and Administrative Law Times They are A'Changing
Robin Creyke
Judge David Parry
Mindfulness for resilience, wellbeing and sustainable performance
Dr Craig Hassed Senior Lecturer Monash University Department of General Practice
Hon. Justice Duncan Kerr. President, Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Whitmore Lecture 2014 - The Value of Human Rights for Australia
Professor Gillian Triggs
n/a
Pamela O'Connor Monash University
Justice Greg Parker, President, South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Engaging the public and encouraging excellence
Justice Iain Ross AO
Writing to clarify, engage and persuade
Gina Frampton Writing Comes Alive
Reasonableness and Reasons: lessons for good decision- making
K Mattes, A/Special Counsel
Conference Program: 2013 COAT NSW Chapter Annual Conference. Access and Capacity
n/a
The Hon Justice Duncan Kerr Chev LH
Whitmore Lecture 2012 - The reason for administrative reasons - Osmond Revisited
The Honourable Michael Kirby AC CMG
Whitmore Lecture 2009 - Can administrative law foster good administration?
Professor John McMillan AO
Whitmore Lecture 2008 - The Tribunal Dilemma : Rigorous Informality
The Honourable Justice Garry Downes AM
Whitmore Lecture 2007 - The Kerr Report: Its Continuing Significance
Sir Anthony Mason AC KBE
Why does Australia have a general review tribunal?
The Hon. Justice Garry Downes AM, President of the Australian Administrative Appeals Tribunal
Tribunals and performance criteria
Dr Stephen Colbran Senior Lecturer Faculty of Law Queensland University of Technology
Complaints about the Conduct of Tribunal Members
Diane Robinson, President, Guardianship Tribunal
Whitmore Lecture 2010 - Freedom of information - a new paradigm
The Honourable Justice Ruth McColl AO
Whitmore Lecture 2011 - The Constitutionalisation of State Administrative Law
Ronald Sackville QC AO
Privacy Law and Decision Making
Kate Eastman
Social Media in Tribunal Proceedings - Evidentiary & Case Management Challenges
Robert Bromwich SC 12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
Cathy Aird, Deputy President - Domestic Building List, VCAT
Government of Laws not of Men' Statutory interpretation through the prism of native title
Susan Phillips
The art and science of diagnosis
Wendy Hu MBBS DipPaed MHA PhD FRACGP School of Medicine, UWS
The Art and Science of Diagnosis
Mark Burns MBBS MSafSc FAFOEM(RACP) FAADEP
The Art and Science of Tribunal - a rheumatologist's emphasis
Neil McGill Rheumatologist Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Uni of Sydney
Malcolm Schyvens President Guardianship Tribunal
Speech Intelligibility in Courts & Tribunals
Mark Hanson
The Australian Consumer Law and its application by Tribunals
Christine Paull Senior Member
