Who we are
Organisation
The Tribunal consists of the President, other presidential members (who may be judges or Deputy Presidents), Senior Members and Members. The President, with the assistance of the Registrar, is responsible for managing the Tribunal and its resources.
The Tribunal has a Principal Registry and District Registries. Principal Registry managers and District Registrars provide policy advice and operational assistance. Staff are employed under the Public Service Act 1999 to assist the Tribunal to carry out its functions.
More info : Table of statutory apppointments : Organisational chart - RTF (138 KB) PDF (24 KB).
Membership of the Tribunal
Members of the Tribunal are appointed by the Governor-General. The qualification requirements for all categories of members in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act are outlined below. Appointments to the Tribunal may be full-time or part-time.
Presidential members can exercise powers in any of the Tribunal's divisions. Senior Members and Members may only exercise powers in the division or divisions to which they have been assigned.
There are 87 members of the Tribunal at 1 December 2011. The breakdown of full-time and part-time members by category is shown in the following table.
| Category of Member | Judge | Full-time | Part-time | Total (Women) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President | 1 | - | - | 1 (0) |
| Presidential members: | - | - | - | - |
| Federal Court judges | 13 | - | - | 13 (3) |
| Family Court judges | 3 | - | - | 3 (2) |
| Deputy Presidents | - | 6 | 4 | 10 (1) |
| Senior Members | - | 8 | 18 | 26 (10) |
| Members | - | 2 | 32 | 34 (11) |
| Total | 17 | 16 | 54 | 87 (27) |
President
The Hon. Justice Garry Downes AM was appointed a judge of the Federal Court of Australia and Acting President of the Tribunal on 2 April 2002. He was appointed President of the Tribunal on 16 May 2005, for seven years.
The President of the Tribunal must be a judge of the Federal Court.
Other presidential members
Judges of the Federal Court and the Family Court of Australia may be appointed part-time presidential members of the Tribunal.
Deputy Presidents must have been enrolled as legal practitioners for at least five years.
Senior Members
Senior Members must have been enrolled as legal practitioners for at least five years or have special knowledge or skills relevant to the duties of a Senior Member.
Members
Members must have knowledge or skills relevant to the duties of a Member. Current Members have expertise in areas including accountancy, aviation, engineering, law, medicine, pharmacology, military affairs, public administration and taxation.
The Tribunal's members by state and territory are outlined below:
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria
- South Australia
- Western Australia
- Australian Capital Territory
- Tasmania
More info : Member profiles & biographical information in the latest AAT Annual Report : Table of statutory appointments : Appointment announcements by the Attorney-General : Speeches and papers.
Registrar and Executive Directors
Philip Kellow commenced his five-year appointment as Registrar of the Tribunal on 22 July 2010.
Prior to his appointment as Registrar, Mr Kellow worked as Deputy Registrar of the Federal Court, a position he held from August 1999. In that role he was responsible for various aspects of the Court's management and administration. He was involved in a wide range of initiatives to enhance the management and operations of the Court, including initiatives relating to new technology, structural reforms, changes to jurisdiction and active case management. He was also responsible for a number of major projects such as the establishment of the General and Fair Work Divisions of the Court, the introduction of an indictable criminal jurisdiction and rewriting the Federal Court Rules. Mr Kellow has a BA/LLB from the Australian National University and has been admitted as a practitioner in the High Court and the Supreme Courts of NSW and ACT. He has practised as a solicitor in the government, private and community sectors.
The Registrar assists the President to manage the Tribunal and advises on its operations and performance. The Registrar may act on behalf of the President in relation to the administration of the Tribunal.
The position of Registrar is a statutory office appointed by the Governor-General. The Registrar is the agency head for the purposes of the Public Service Act 1999, responsible for the employment of the Tribunal's staff on behalf of the Commonwealth. The Registrar is also the Chief Executive for the purposes of the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997.
The Registrar is assisted by the Executive Director, Operations and the Executive Director, Information and Development who hold office as senior executives in the Australian Public Service. Megan Cassidy is the Executive Director, Operations and Chris Matthies is the Acting Executive Director, Information and Development.
Staff
Tribunal staff are employed under the Public Service Act as ongoing, non-ongoing or intermittent employees. At 30 June 2011, 155 staff were employed by the Tribunal.
The administrative structure of the Tribunal, including senior staff can be viewed in RTF (138 KB) or PDF (24 KB) versions.
Registries
Principal Registry
Principal Registry staff advise and assist the President and the Registrar, and provide a range of services for members and staff. They are responsible for finance, human resource management, information technology, legal and policy services, library services, payroll and property.
Principal Registry staff are in Brisbane, Perth and Sydney.
More info : Contacting Principal Registry.
District Registries
There are District Registries in each of the state capital cities and in Canberra. The registry service in Hobart is provided by the Federal Court. The Brisbane Registry manages Northern Territory applications and is responsible for ensuring an effective level of service to Northern Territory residents.
In each District Registry, a Deputy President or Senior Member is appointed Executive Deputy President. The Executive Deputy President and the District Registrar are responsible for local registry management. District Registrars are assisted by Deputy Registrars.
The following table lists the Executive Deputy Presidents by Registry.
| State/Territory | Executive Deputy Presidents |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Senior Member Professor Robin Creyke |
| New South Wales | Deputy President Robin Handley |
| Queensland/Northern Territory | Deputy President Philip Hack SC |
| South Australia | Deputy President Deane Jarvis |
| Tasmania | Deputy President Raymond Groom AO |
| Victoria | Deputy President James Constance |
| Western Australia | Deputy President Stanley Hotop |
Conference Registrars are appointed by the President in each registry to conduct the majority of the conferences held by the Tribunal. They also conduct other alternative dispute resolution processes.
District Registry staff:
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provide information to parties and their representatives and the general public on the operation and procedures of the Tribunal
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process applications
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facilitate the listing and conduct of conferences, other alternative dispute resolution processes and hearings, and
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provide administrative and other support services to members.
More info : Contacting District Registries.