08:15 – 09:40

Heads of Workers Compensation Jurisdictions Meeting

(closed meeting, by invitation only)

08:15 – 09:40

Heads of Mental Health Jurisdictions Meeting

(closed meeting, by invitation only)

09:00 – 11:15

Senior Registry Staff Ideas Forum

09:45 – 11:15

Heads of Tribunal Meeting

(closed meeting, by invitation only)

Conference Opening

• Anne Britton, Chair, Council of Australasian Tribunals

Welcome to Country

• Derek Oram-Sandy, Yerongpan Aboriginal Corporation

Conference Welcome

• Justice Kerri Mellifont, Chair, 2024 COAT National Conference Organising Committee

Keynote Address – Top Tips

• Chief Justice Helen Bowskill, Chief Justice of Queensland

Communicating With First Nations People

• Alex Bowen, Linguist and PhD Candidate, University of Melbourne

Guardianship Masterclass: Balancing Risk and Rights in a Protective Jurisdiction

A person-centred hearing in a time poor jurisdiction can be challenging. Critical evidence, competing views and the rights of a person who may have impaired decision-making capacity need to be considered.

This practical session will consider how to:

1. Afford procedural fairness to the person the subject of the application and other parties to proceedings.
2. Use the law as a framework to guide your decision-making.
3. Acknowledge and safeguard the rights of a person with impaired decision-making capacity.

Panelists:

• Anne Britton, Deputy President, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
• Joanne Browne, Senior Member, Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal
• Dr John Chesterman, Queensland Public Advocate

The ART of Merits Review ­­– Significant Changes to Membership Provisions

The Administrative Review Tribunal Bill contains significant reforms concerning the qualifications, appointment, conduct, performance, training and terms of office of members of the Administrative Review Tribunal. Justice Kyrou will discuss the practical implications of these provisions from the perspective of members, parties and the Tribunal.

Trish McConnell will provide a short commentary from the New Zealand perspective.

• The Hon Emilios John Kyrou AO, President, Administrative Appeals Tribunal
• Commentator: Trish McConnell, Chair, Private Security Personnel Licencing Authority, New Zealand

Conference Dinner

Madame Wu Restaurant, Upper Plaza Level (5 minutes’ walk from the conference venue).

Upper Plaza Level, Riparian Plaza, 71 Eagle Street

Tickets include an Asian fusion dinner. Note tickets do not include drinks. A bar will operate throughout the evening where guests can purchase drinks.

• Chair, Council of Australasian Tribunals

AI beyond the hype: The good, the bad, and the practical

Artificial intelligence has moved beyond the hype and is fundamentally transforming how society functions. You will learn how AI is being practically applied across different sectors, unlocking new capabilities and raising new questions. You will gain an informed perspective on AI’s current capabilities and limitations, its profound impacts on work and society, and how organizations can responsibly steer emerging technologies. Get insights from two experts who connect cutting-edge research with real-world ways of working, and walk away with a broad understanding of how AI will affect the Tribunal context and more broadly, the legal profession.

• Dr Sandra Peter, Director, Sydney Executive Plus and Associate Professor, the University of Sydney
• Dr Kai Riemer, Professor of Information Technology and Organisation and Director, Sydney Executive Plus, the University of Sydney Business School

A values-oriented guide to the use of AI in tribunals

This presentation focuses on the practical aspects of AI in Tribunals. It draws on the findings of research conducted by UNSW researchers in partnership with the Australasian Institute of Judicial Administration. It focuses on key challenges and opportunities associated with the deployment of AI in courts and tribunals, drawing on case studies including automated decision-support, the use of AI in automated e-filing, triaging, and the use of generative AI including in translation. It discusses these within the frame of core values including open justice, impartiality, procedural fairness, access to justice and efficiency, setting out questions that should be asked when considering or deploying AI tools.

• Professor Lyria Bennett Moses, Associate Dean (Research), Faculty of Law and Justice, University of New South Wales Sydney

Liar Liar Pants on Fire: Making Credit Findings Masterclass

Tips to make sure you adopt an appropriate approach to making credit findings, and making sure you go far enough in your reasons.

• Dr John Adams, Former Family Court Judge, Poet, Writer and Deputy Chair of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal, New Zealand

Compensation Masterclass Session

This practical session will focus on psychological disorders in compensation cases. Professor Varghese regularly appears in compensation cases, and SM O’Donovan oversees the compensation list at the AAT.

• Professor Frank Varghese, Psychiatrist
• Damien O’Donovan, Senior Member, Administrative Appeals Tribunal

Collateral Challenges Masterclass: How to spot a collateral challenge in the wild and how to wrangle it.

• Justice Judy Hughes, President, South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal

Vexatious and/or Querulent litigants

This session will provide tips for how to deal with challenges that commonly arise with a vexatious or querulent litigant.

• Dr Grant Lester, Member, Mental Health Tribunal (Vic)

Working with Interpreters

• Professor Sandra Hale, Professor of Interpreting and Translation, University of New South Wales