Glossary

Term Meaning
AASB Australian Accounting Standards Board.
AAT Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975.
ADR Alternative dispute resolution, the umbrella term for a range of processes for resolving a dispute, other than at a hearing.
Affirm If the Tribunal affirms a decision, the original decision is not changed.
Applicant The individual or organisation that has lodged an application with the Tribunal.
Application for extension of time An application for a review of a decision must be lodged with the Tribunal within a certain time limit. However, in some jurisdictions, an application may be made to the Tribunal to extend the time for lodging an application.
Appropriation An amount authorised by parliament to be drawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund or Loan Fund for a particular purpose, or the amount so authorised. Appropriations are contained in specific legislation – notably, but not exclusively, the Appropriation Acts.
APS Australian Public Service.
APS employee A person engaged under the Public Service Act 1999.
ASIO Australian Security Intelligence Organisation.
Asylum seeker A person who is outside their country of origin, has applied for recognition as a refugee in another country and is awaiting a decision on their application.
AusTender The Australian Government’s procurement information system.
AustLII The Australasian Legal Information Institute publishes a website that provides free internet access to Australasian legal materials, including published AAT decisions.
AVS Australian Valuation Solutions.
Bridging visa A bridging visa is a temporary visa generally granted to an eligible non-citizen to enable them to remain lawfully in Australia for one of a number of specified reasons, the most common being while they are awaiting the outcome of an application for a substantive visa.
Case appraisal An alternative dispute resolution process conducted by a Tribunal member or other person, chosen on the basis of their knowledge of the subject matter, who assists the parties to resolve the dispute by providing a non-binding opinion on the facts in dispute and likely outcomes.
China The People’s Republic of China.
COAT Council of Australasian Tribunals.
Complementary protection Circumstances where there are substantial grounds for believing that, as a necessary and foreseeable consequence of being removed from Australia to a receiving country, there is a real risk a person will suffer significant harm.
Conciliation An alternative dispute resolution process in which a Tribunal member, conference registrar or other person assists the parties to identify the issues in dispute and endeavour to reach an agreement. The conciliator has no determinative role but may advise on or determine the conciliation process, make suggestions on terms of settlement and actively encourage the parties to reach an agreement.
Conference A meeting conducted by a Tribunal member, conference registrar or other person with the parties and/or their representatives. Conferences provide an opportunity to discuss and define the issues in dispute, identify further evidence that may be gathered, explore whether the matter can be settled and discuss the future conduct of the matter.
Confidentiality order An order made by the Tribunal directing that a hearing or part of a hearing be held in private, or prohibiting or restricting the publication or other disclosure of information tending to reveal the identity of a party, witness or related person, information comprising evidence or about evidence, or information otherwise lodged with or given to the Tribunal.
CSS Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme.
DCB Departmental capital budget.
Directions hearing A brief hearing conducted by a Tribunal member to discuss the progress of a case or deal with issues arising in a case, particularly if there has been delay by a party.
Dismissal of application Finalising an application without proceeding to review the decision. An application may be dismissed in defined circumstances, including if the applicant fails to appear at an ADR process, directions hearing or hearing; fails to proceed with an application; or fails to comply with a direction.
FRR Public Governance, Performance and Accountability (Financial Reporting) Rule 2015.
FCA Federal Court of Australia.
FCAFC Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia.
FCCA Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
FOI Freedom of information.
Freedom of Information Act Freedom of Information Act 1982.
GST Goods and Services Tax.
Guide to Refugee Law The Guide to Refugee Law in Australia was developed in 1996 as a reference tool for members and staff of the RRT. It contains an analysis of the legal issues relevant to the determination of refugee status in Australia and is regularly updated to reflect developments in the law.
Hearing The occasion at which the parties may present evidence and submissions in relation to the decision under review to the Tribunal member(s) who will decide the case.
IAA Immigration Assessment Authority.
Interlocutory application Any application made by a party that relates to an application for a review of a decision, including any of the following kinds of application: to extend the time to lodge an application for a review; to be joined as a party to a proceeding; to make a confidentiality order; to stay the operation or implementation of the decision under review; to dismiss an application; or to reinstate an application.
IPS Information Publication Scheme.
Jurisdiction The scope of the Tribunal’s power to review decisions.
Mediation An alternative dispute resolution process during which a Tribunal member, conference registrar or other person assists the parties to identify the issues in dispute, develop options, consider alternatives and endeavour to reach an agreement. The mediator has no advisory or determinative role in relation to the content of the dispute but may advise on or determine the mediation process.
Migration Act Migration Act 1958.
MRT Migration Review Tribunal.
NAATI National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.
NDIS National Disability Insurance Scheme.
Neutral evaluation An alternative dispute resolution process in which a Tribunal member or other person, chosen on the basis of their knowledge of the subject matter, assists the parties to resolve the dispute by evaluating the facts and law at issue in the dispute and providing a non-binding opinion on the likely outcomes.
Non-ongoing APS employee An APS employee engaged for a specific term or the duration of a specified task.
Ongoing APS employee An APS employee employed on a continuing basis.
OPA Official Public Account.
Outcome In relation to the Portfolio Budget Statements, the results, impacts or consequences of actions by government on the Australian community.
Party A participant in the proceedings before the Tribunal. A party can be the person who makes the application to the Tribunal and, in certain divisions, the decision‑maker or other respondent to the application and any other person joined to the proceedings.
Party joined A person whose interests are affected by a decision under review who is made a party to a proceeding by order of the Tribunal.
PGPA Act Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
Portfolio Additiona Estimates Statements Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements inform parliament of changes in resourcing since the Budget, providing information on new measures and their impact on the financial and non-financial planned performance of agencies.
Portfolio Budget Statements Portfolio Budget Statements explain the Budget appropriations for entities within a portfolio in terms of outcomes and programs.
Program An activity or group of activities that deliver benefits, services or transfer payments to individuals, industry/business or the community as a whole and are the primary vehicles for government entities to achieve the intended results of their outcome statements.
Protection visas A class of visas, a criterion for which is that the applicant for the visa is a non-citizen in Australia to whom Australia has protection obligations (the applicant is a refugee or is owed complementary protection) or is a non-citizen in Australia who is the spouse or a dependant of a non-citizen who holds a protection visa.
PSS Public Sector Superannuation Scheme.
PSSap Public Sector Superannuation accumulation plan.
Public Governance, Performance and
Accountability Act
Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013.
Public Service Act Public Service Act 1999.
Refugee A person who is outside their country and is unable or unwilling to go back because they have a well-founded fear of being persecuted because of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group.
Registry An office of the AAT.
Remit If the Tribunal remits a matter, it sends the matter back to the original decision-maker to be reconsidered in accordance with any directions or recommendations of the Tribunal.
Respondent The party who responds to or answers an application in certain divisions, usually the department, agency or organisation that made the original decision.
RRT Refugee Review Tribunal.
SES Senior Executive Service.
Set aside If the Tribunal sets aside a decision under review, the original decision no longer stands. The Tribunal may make a new decision or remit the matter to the original decision-maker.
SSAT Social Security Appeals Tribunal.
Stay order An order of the Tribunal to suspend the operation or implementation of the decision under review until the matter is determined or resolved.
Tribunal Administrative Appeals Tribunal.
Unauthorised maritime arrivals Asylum seekers that arrive in Australia by boat without a visa.
Vary If the Tribunal varies a decision under review, the original decision is changed or altered in some way.
WHS Work health and safety.
Work Health and Safety Act Work Health and Safety Act 2011.

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