Australian Tribunals: Impact of Amalgamation

Australia has pioneered the practice of amalgamation of its tribunals, a movement which culminated, since the late 1990s, in the establishment of tribunals combining civil and administrative jurisdictions. This occurred in all the states except Tasmania, which is soon to join its brethren. The Commonwealth too has amalgamated its tribunals, the last occasion being in 2015. Its tribunals, for constitutional reasons do not extend to civil matters. These developments have not been examined to determine whether the process of amalgamation has met the objectives identified intended by the change. As a first step in that discovery process, the author surveyed the tribunals to tease out the impact of amalgamation. The outcome, of necessity, reflects the views of the tribunals themselves. Nonetheless, the results begin the task of assessing the success or otherwise of these moves. Others need to pursue the task of exploring users' views of the value of the development.