Administrative Review Reform Issues Paper

Overview

On 16 December 2022, the Government announced reform to Australia’s system of administrative review. This reform will abolish the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) and establish a new federal administrative review body. The reform will also include a transparent, merit-based system of appointments.

We have released an Issues Paper seeking views on the development of a new federal administrative review body. The Issues Paper asks 67 questions about a wide range of matters including the purpose, structure, membership, powers and procedures of the new federal administrative review body. 

• Issues Paper [PDF 2MB]
• Issues Paper [DOCX 1MB]
• Issues Paper Summary [PDF  600KB]
• Issues Paper Summary [DOCX 120KB]

There are two ways that you can provide a response to the Issues Paper:

1. If you would like to provide a submission responding to the questions in the Issues Paper, or you want to provide a response on behalf of an organisation, please use the ‘Make a submission’ link below. 
2. If you would prefer to answer targeted questions about the new body, please complete our short survey. 

Consultation closed on 12 May 2023. Extensions will not be granted. 

Why are we consulting?

We are consulting with members of the public to understand what the government should consider when developing legislation for the new federal administrative review body. 

Who do we want to hear from?

This consultation seeks views from any stakeholders interested in the key features of the new federal administrative review body. This may include:

• AAT staff and members 
• migration and refugee stakeholders (refugee advocates, migration agents)
• people with disability, disability advocates and disability service providers 
• veterans and veterans’ advocacy and support groups
• social security recipients and welfare rights advocates
• tax advisors and practitioners
• worker’s rights and workplace health and safety groups
• legal practitioners and peak legal bodies, including Legal Aid Commissions, Community Legal Centres, and Bar Associations 
• academics.

Publishing responses

You can submit your response under your name or anonymously. We will publish responses after the consultation period, provided the author consented, and there is no potential legal issue with publishing the submission.

Submissions may be subject to freedom of information requests, or requests from the Parliament. Personal information shared through the consultation process will be treated in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988. For more information on how we collect, store and use personal information, visit our Privacy Policy.