Glossary of terms and abbreviations

Term Meaning
AAT The Administrative Appeals Tribunal is a statutory body that provides independent merits review of a range of government decisions
affirm To ratify the decision under review – the original decision remains unchanged and in force
AMP Agency Multicultural Plan
ANAO The Australian National Audit Office is a specialist public sector practice providing a full range of audit services to the parliament and public sector agencies and statutory bodies
applicant The applicant for review
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 The Australian Public Service
APS employee A person engaged under section 22 or a person who is engaged as an APS employee under section 72 of the Public Service Act 1999
APSC The Australian Public Service Commission
ARMC The tribunals’ Audit and Risk Management Committee which oversaw the engagement and work program of the tribunals’ internal auditors and considered issues relating to risk management
asylum seeker An asylum seeker is 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 Commonwealth 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 MRT and RRT decisions
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 application for a substantive visa
case A case is an application for review before the MRT or the RRT. It was the tribunals’ practice to count multiple applications as a single case where the legislation provides that the applications can be handled together, usually where members of a family unit have applied for the grant of visas at the same time
caseload and constitution policy A Principal Member Direction on Caseload and Constitution set out arrangements for the constitution and processing of cases before the tribunals each financial year
chief financial officer The chief financial officer is the executive responsible for both the strategic and operational aspects of financial planning management and record-keeping in APS departments and agencies. The Registrar was the chief financial officer of the tribunals
China The People’s Republic of China
CISNET A specialist country information database utilised in assessing visa claims
Comcare A statutory authority responsible for workplace safety rehabilitation and compensation
Commonwealth Ombudsman The Commonwealth Ombudsman considers and investigates complaints about Australian Government departments and agencies including the tribunals
competitive tendering and contracting The process of contracting out the delivery of government activities previously performed by an agency to another organisation. The activity is submitted to competitive tender and the preferred provider of the activity is selected from the range of bidders by evaluating offers against predetermined selection criteria
complementary protection Protection that is complementary to Australia’s obligations under the Refugees Convention that ensures no person, as a consequence of being removed from Australia to a receiving country, faces a real risk of suffering significant harm
constitution Constitution is the formal process by means of which the tribunal was constituted and a case allocated to a member for the purposes of a particular review. Once constituted as the tribunal for the purposes of a particular review, a member was responsible for the decision making processes and the decision of the tribunal for that review
consultancy A consultancy is one type of service delivered under a contract for services. A consultant is an entity engaged to provide professional independent and expert advice or services and may be an individual, a partnership or a corporation
corporate governance The process by which agencies are directed and controlled. It is generally understood to encompass authority, accountability, stewardship, leadership direction and control
CSS Commonwealth Superannuation Scheme
DCB Departmental Capital Budget
decision The formal document which sets out in writing the tribunal decision and reasons for decision in a particular review
department The Department of Immigration and Border Protection. Officers of the department hold delegations to make the primary decisions reviewable by the tribunals
Deputy Principal Member The Deputy Principal Member assisted the Principal Member with the operations of the tribunals
Deputy Registrar Deputy Registrars assisted the Registrar
District Registrar District Registrars assisted the Registrar. A District Registrar was responsible for day-today operations and management of a tribunal registry
EL Executive level officer of the APS
enterprise agreement The Enterprise Agreement 2012–14 set out the terms and conditions for applicable tribunal employees
executive officer The executive officer was the Principal Member, who was responsible for the overall operation and administration of the tribunals
expenditure The total or gross amount of money spent by the government on any or all of its activities
Fast-track applicants ‘Fast-track applicants’ are UMAs who entered Australia on or after 13 August 2012 but before 1 January 2014 and who have subsequently been permitted by the Minister to make a valid application for a protection visa
FBT Fringe Benefits Tax
FCA The Federal Court of Australia
FCAFC The Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia
FCC Federal Circuit Court
financial results The results shown in the financial statements of an agency
FMA Act The Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) was replaced by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013
FMO Finance Minister’s Orders
FOI freedom of information
FOI Act The Freedom of Information Act 1982 creates a legally enforceable right of public access to documents in the possession of agencies
Green Committee The tribunals’ Green Committee promoted an environmentally sustainable culture within the tribunals consistent with the tribunals’ environmental policy
GST The Goods and Services Tax is a broad-based tax of 10% on most goods, services and other items sold or consumed in Australia
Guide to Refugee Law in Australia 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
HCA The High Court of Australia
hearing An appearance by a person before either the MRT or the RRT. The appearance may be in person, or by video or telephone link
IAA Immigration Assessment Authority. The Migration and Maritime Powers (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Act 2014 (the Legacy Act) Legacy Act established the Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA) as a distinct office within the RRT to review decisions to refuse a protection visa to fast-track applicants. From 1 July 2015 the IAA became an independent authority within the MRD of the AAT
IAG The Interpreter Advisory Group sought to ensure the tribunals had access to a high standard of interpreters
IFAs Individual flexibility arrangements
IPS Information Publication Scheme
jurisdiction Jurisdiction defined the scope of the tribunals’ power to review decisions
Legacy Act The Migration and Maritime Powers (Resolving the Asylum Legacy Caseload) Act 2014 (the Legacy Act) received Royal Assent on 15 December 2014 and largely commenced on 18 April 2015. The legislation introduced a fast-track assessment process, establishing the Immigration Assessment Authority (IAA) as a distinct office within the RRT. The Legacy Act also introduced temporary protection visas and safe haven enterprise visas, removed express links to the Convention relating to the Status of Refugees from the criteria for a protection visa, and removed the 90 day time period for processing protection visas.
member A member was a statutory office holder appointed to the MRT and the RRT. A member was constituted as the MRT or the RRT for the purposes of a particular review and was responsible for the decision-making process and the decision of the MRT or the RRT for that review
Member Code of Conduct Established the conduct to be observed by all members of the tribunals in performing their functions and duties
merits review Merits review is the administrative reconsideration of the subject matter of the decision under review
MIBP The acronym MIBP is used to identify the Minister for Immigration and Border Protection in abbreviated court citations
Migration Act The Migration Act 1958 is the principal legislation which establishes the tribunals and sets out their functions, powers and procedures. The Act is the legislative basis for all decisions reviewable by the tribunals
migration agent A migration agent is someone who uses knowledge of migration law and procedures to advise or assist a person who is applying for a visa or in other transactions with the department or the tribunals. They may be a lawyer and may work in the private or not-for-profit sector. A migration agent operating in Australia is required by law to be registered with the OMARA
Migration Regulations The Migration Regulations 1994
Minister The Minister for Immigration and Border Protection
MRD The Migration and Refugee Division of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
MRT The Migration Review Tribunal
non-ongoing APS employee An APS employee who is not an ongoing APS employee, that is, a temporary employee engaged for a specified term or the duration of a specified task
OMARA The Office of the Migration Agents Registration Authority undertakes the role of regulator to the migration advice industry. It is responsible for registration, complaints, professional standards, education and training for migration agents
ongoing APS employee A person engaged as an ongoing APS employee as mentioned in section 22(2)(a) of the Public Service Act 1999, that is a person employed on a continuing basis
OPA Official Public Account
operations Functions, services and processes performed in pursuing the objectives or discharging the functions of an agency
outcomes The results, impacts or consequence of actions by government on the Australian community
outputs The goods or services produced by agencies on behalf of government for external organisations or individuals. Outputs include goods and services produced for other areas of government external to an agency
performance pay Also known as performance-linked bonuses and usually taking the form of a one-off payment in recognition of performance. Retention and sign-on payments are not considered to be performance pay, and nor is performance-linked advancement which includes advancement to higher pay points which then becomes the employee’s nominal salary
PGPA Act The Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 replaced the Financial Management and Accountability Act 1997 (FMA Act) and the Commonwealth Authorities and Companies Act 1997 (CAC Act) on 1 July 2014. The PGPA Act establishes a coherent system of governance and accountability for public resources, with an emphasis on planning, performance and reporting. The Act applies to all Commonwealth entities and Commonwealth companies
Portfolio Additional Estimates Statements (PAES) 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 Statement (PBS) The Portfolio Budget Statement informs parliament of the proposed allocation of resources to government outcomes by agencies within the portfolio
primary decision A primary decision was the decision subject to review by either the MRT or the RRT
Principal Member The Principal Member was the executive officer of the tribunals and was responsible for the tribunals’ overall operations and administration; ensuring that their operations were as fair, just, economical, informal and quick as practicable; allocating work determining guidelines and issuing written directions. The Principal Member was the chief executive for FMA Act/PGPA Act purposes and agency head for Public Service Act 1999 purposes
Principal Member Directions Sections 353A and 420A of the Migration Act provide that the Principal Member may give written directions as to the operation of the tribunals and the conduct of reviews by the tribunals
Principal Registry The Principal Registry was the tribunals’ national office. The tribunals’ executive functions were performed at the Principal Registry. Elements of the Principal Registry were co-located with the New South Wales and Victoria registries
protection visas Protection visas are 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 under the Refugees Convention, or a non-citizen in Australia who is the spouse or a dependant of a non-citizen who holds a protection visa
Protocol The 1967 UN Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees removed the time and geographical limitation in the Refugees Convention’s definition of a refugee
PSS Public Sector Superannuation Scheme
PSSap Public Sector Superannuation accumulation plan
Public Service Act The Public Service Act 1999
purchaser/provider arrangements Arrangements under which the services of one agency are purchased by another agency to contribute to outcomes. Purchaser/ provider arrangements can occur between Australian Government agencies or between Australian Government agencies and state/territory government agencies or private sector bodies
Refugees Convention The Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees agreed at Geneva on 28 July 1951 as amended by the Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees agreed at New York on 31 January 1967
Registrar The Registrar of the tribunals assisted the Principal Member with the administrative management of the tribunals
Registry A registry was an office of the tribunals
remit To send the matter back for reconsideration. A tribunal might remit a decision to the department when it decided that a visa applicant had satisfied the criteria which the primary decision maker found were not satisfied, or that the visa applicant was a refugee
Remuneration Tribunal The Remuneration Tribunal is the statutory body that determines the remuneration for key Commonwealth offices, including tribunal members
representative A representative is someone who could forward submissions and evidence to the tribunals, contact the tribunals on the applicant’s behalf, and accompany the applicant to any meeting or hearing arranged by the tribunals. With very limited exceptions, a representative must be a registered migration agent
review application A review application is an application for review that was made to either of the tribunals
reviewable decision. A reviewable decision is a decision that could be reviewed by either the MRT or the RRT. Reviewable decisions are defined in the Act and the Migration Regulations
RRT The Refugee Review Tribunal
Senior Management Group The Senior Management Group comprised the Registrar, deputy registrars, district registrars and directors. This group met monthly and dealt with agency management and planning issues
senior member Senior members provided guidance to and were responsible for members
service charter The tribunals’ service charter set out the agency’s service standards. It is government policy that agencies which provide services directly to the public have service charters in place. A service charter is a public statement about the service an agency will provide and what customers can expect from the agency
SES Senior Executive Service of the APS
set-aside To revoke the decision under review – the original decision is deemed not to have been made. A tribunal sets aside a decision when it decides that the primary decision should be changed. When a tribunal sets aside a primary decision it may substitute a new decision in place of the primary decision
specialisation Tribunal members specialising in the review of particular types of cases
statutory objective The tribunals’ statutory objective was to provide a mechanism of review that was fair, just, economical, informal and quick. The MRT and the RRT’s statutory objectives were set out in sections 353 and 420 respectively of the Migration Act
TIS The Translating and Interpreting Service
tribunal The Migration Review Tribunal (the MRT) or the Refugee Review Tribunal (the RRT)
tribunals The Migration Review Tribunal (MRT) and the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT), unless otherwise indicated
tribunals’ strategic plan The Strategic Plan 2013–16. It was a high level document setting out the tribunals’ key strategic aims and priorities and core values
UN United Nations
unauthorised maritime arrivals Asylum seekers that arrive in Australia by boat without a visa
visa applicant A visa applicant is a person who has made a visa application
WHS work health and safety
workplace diversity The concept of workplace diversity values and utilises the contributions of people of different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives

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