Talking Point: Justice on the move in Tasmanian tribunal shift

ELISE ARCHER: Tasmania is the only state without a single tribunal

STREAMLINING JUSTICE: Tasmanian Attorney-General Elise Archer. Picture: MATT THOMPSON

WHILE we are in uncharted territory with the global spread of coronavirus and its impact on our community and economy, it is critical that we continue governing and getting on with the job of delivering for Tasmanians.

Our government will also do everything it can to manage and mitigate the economic and social impacts, and we will work to ensure our businesses, our workforce and our communities are well positioned for a successful recovery. We are well placed to respond and we will get through this together. But we also need to plan for when we are on the other side of this very difficult event.

For the first time in Tasmania, a single tribunal will be established to streamline services and improve access to justice. This important reform has been discussed by governments over many years, but we are getting on with making it happen.

Tasmania is the only state that does not yet have a single tribunal and, as attorney-general and the minister for justice, I have driven this significant reform to establish the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal — or TasCAT — confident that it will deliver a more client-centric focus, particularly for our protective jurisdictions.

TasCAT will also assist to promote alternative dispute resolution programs and provide greater consistency in decision making, while enabling seamless service delivery to clients. A significant amount of work will be undertaken this year to deliver a new single tribunal for Tasmania.

The first step is the establishment of the new physical space for the co-location of the first tranche of tribunals to come under the new TasCAT umbrella.

It is expected that nine tribunals will be the first to be co-located at the new Barrack St facilities in Hobart.

These tribunals are: Resource Management and Planning Appeal Tribunal; Guardianship and Administration Board;

Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Tribunal;

Asbestos Compensation Tribunal;

Motor Accident Compensation Tribunal;

Anti-Discrimination Tribunal;

Health Practitioners Tribunal;

Forest Practices Tribunal; and Mental Health Tribunal.

The new Barrack St facilities are being specially fitted out for the unique needs of the new single tribunal and its broad range of clients.

We are working closely with the tribunals and their stakeholders to ensure they are regularly consulted through this transition phase.

The current heads of each tribunal and their staff are vital to the establishment of TasCAT, and we will ensure the transition is as least disruptive to their work as possible, for them as well as their clients.

In the coming months, legislation will be brought before the state parliament to formalise the single tribunal arrangement.

The new single tribunal is expected it to be operational by the second half of this year.

This is an important and major reform in the Tasmanian justice sector and there is still a great deal of work to see it finally come to fruition.

I am confident, however, this will deliver beneficial outcomes for Tasmanians into the future.

Clark Liberal MHA Elise Archer is Tasmanian Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Corrections.