Federal Government commits $3.6m for Darwin Administrative Review Tribunal registry

The NT will no longer be the only place in Australia without a tribunal registry, improving access to justice for a range of issues – including tax, welfare payments, child support and visas.

The federal government has funded an Administrative Review Tribunal to open in Darwin next month, improving Territorians’ access to justice.

Territorians will no longer have to travel 3000km to attend the nearest Administrative Review Tribunal, with a Darwin registry set to open next month.

Federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus was in Darwin this weekend to announce $3.6m over four years for the registry, which will improve access to justice for local residents.

The Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) conducts independent reviews of administrative decisions made under a wide range of Commonwealth laws, including to do with veterans, NDIS and welfare payments, taxation, workers’ comp, visas, and child support.

In the last financial year about 320 appeals were launched by Territorians – a rate significantly lower than the rest of the country.

Justice Emilios Kyrou, Federal Court Judge and President of the Administrative Review Tribunal. The Albanese government has committed $3.6m to open an Administrative Review Tribunal registry in Darwin. Picture: Fia Walsh.

“The Tribunal is really at the front line of a lot of the decisions that governments make that affect people on a day-to-day basis – more people come to the tribunal than they go to courts,” ART president Emilios Kyrou said.

“Just simply to provide an online service doesn’t mean that everyone is able to access it; whether you’re an elderly person, whether English is not your first language, or if you’re not very comfortable navigating online portals – that is a barrier.

“Having a physical registry where they can walk in, there’s a reception area, they can ask questions, they can seek assistance – that I think is very, very important.”

Darwin is currently the only Australian capital city without an ART registry. Since the closure of the Darwin registry in the 1990s, support has been provided out of Adelaide.

The full-service Darwin location will ensure Territory residents get the same services long available to Australians, including a front counter and registry, registrar and conferencing services, a dedicated hearing room and two Darwin-based members.

The government has also committed $2.6m for a First Nations Liaison Officer program to assist to better target support, and raise awareness of the availability of merits review of government decisions through the Tribunal.

Solomon MP Luke Gosling and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus. The Albanese government has committed $3.6m to open an Administrative Review Tribunal registry in Darwin. Picture: Fia Walsh.

Attorney-General Dreyfus said the ART was “the most significant reform to Australia’s system of administrative review in decades”.

“I’m confident that with the greater accessibility that comes from having a registry here in Darwin, that the Territory will get up to and possibly exceed (the national average of appeals), because there are a lot of people on Centrelink benefits in the Northern Territory, we will certainly get an increase in the number of appeals – but that’s what access to justice means,” he said.

Federal member for Solomon Luke Gosling said the local registry funding was a major step forward to ensure all Australians had the full range of judicial services they deserved.

“The opening of the Darwin Registry will make it easier for Territorians to access independent reviews of government decisions, reducing the need for long-distance, often expensive travel to other states,” Mr Gosling said.

The Darwin registry will be located at NT House, 22 Mitchell St, and open on March 10.

Originally published as Federal Government commits $3.6m for Darwin Administrative Review Tribunal registry