2025 Program

Thursday 5 June 2025

Room	VCAT, Level 1, Boardroom	VCAT, Level 2, Hearing Room 2.3	VCAT, Level 2, Hearing Room 2.7	VCAT, Level 3, Meeting Room A and B	VCAT, Level 4, Salon Rouge
08:15 – 09:30 (VCAT Melbourne Office)	Subject Matter Meeting – Guardianship	Subject Matter Meeting – ADR	Subject Matter Meeting – Regulation of Health, Legal and other professionals	Subject Matter Meeting – Residential Tenancies	Subject Matter Meeting – Building and Property (domestic building, planning, retail leasing, etc.)
Room	ART, Level 8, Meeting Room 8.28	ART, Level 5, Meeting Room 5.13
08:15 – 09:30 (ART Melbourne Office)	Heads of Workers Compensation Jurisdiction Meeting (closed meeting, by invitation only)	Heads of Mental Health Jurisdictions Meeting (closed meeting, by invitation only)
Room	ART, Level 8, Training Room 8.07	VCAT, Level 2, Hearing Room 2.3
09:45 – 11:00	Heads of Tribunal Meeting (closed meeting, by invitation only)	Senior Registrars Forum

10:00 – 17:15	Conference Registration Open \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
11:15 – 11:35	Morning Tea \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
Room	Clarendon Ballroom
Session Chair	Justice Ted Woodward
11:35 – 11:55	Welcome to Country Kathleen Terrick, Djirri Djirri Cultural Services
11:55 – 12:00	Conference Opening Malcolm Schyvens, Chair, Council of Australasian Tribunals
12:00 – 12:05	Conference Welcome Justice Ted Woodward, Chair, 2025 COAT National Conference Organising Committee and President, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
12:05 – 12:35	Keynote Address The Hon Sonya Kilkenny MP, Attorney-General, Minister for Planning
12:35 – 13:30	Lunch \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
Room	Clarendon Ballroom A + B	Clarendon Ballroom C
Session Chair	Simone Burford	Fiona Chamberlain
13:30 – 15:00	Evidence in tribunal hearings Speakers: Judge Andrew Palmer, County Court, Victoria The Hon. Geoffrey Nettle, Former Justice of the High Court of Australia Trish McConnell, Chair, Private Security Personnel Licencing Authority, New Zealand	The Evolving Role of Registrars in Tribunal Performance Speakers: Warwick Mitchell, Executive Director, Operations and Support Services, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) Michael Hawkin AM, CEO and Principal Registrar, the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) Tim Banner, Reconceive Consulting
15:00 – 15:30	Afternoon Tea \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
Room	Clarendon Ballroom
Session Chair	The Hon Jennifer Coate AO
15:30 – 17:30	Smart Justice: The role of AI in Modernising Tribunals Moderator: Professor Julian Webb, Professor of Law, Melbourne Law School Panellists: Judge Simon Moglia, County Court, Victoria Professor Jeannie Paterson, Professor of Law and Director, Centre for AI and Digital Ethics at the University of Melbourne Claire Bennett, Decision maker, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
18:45 – 22:30	Conference Dinner Hansen Hall and Conversation Quarter, State Library Victoria Entry via Swanston Street 328 Swanston St, Melbourne VIC 3000 View in Google Maps 18:30, doors open and drinks available 18:45, official start time 19:00, guests seated 19:05, welcome from the conference chair 19:15, entrée served Getting to the dinner Walking: 22-minute walk from the Langham Hotel Tram: Federation Square tram stop is a short walk from the Langham Hotel. Trams 1, 3, 6, 64 & 67 leave every minute from the stop, and you will need to stop at Melbourne Central Station. You will be travelling within the Free Tram Zone where no payment is necessary. Uber/Taxi: Approximately 13-minutes subject to traffic. Click to Direction Map

Friday 6 June 2025

08:15 – 16:45	Registration Open \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
Room	Clarendon Ballroom
08:15 – 08:45	COAT AGM
Session Chair	Brett Carter
08:45 – 08:55	Day Two Opening Address Brett Carter, Deputy Chair, Council of Australasian Tribunals; Co-chair, Principal Tenancy Adjudicator (NZ)
08:55 – 09:55	Keynote Address – Accessible justice in administrative tribunals: best practice and where to draw the line Justice Adam Hatcher, President, Fair Work Commission
09:55 – 10:30	Morning Tea \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
Room	Clarendon Ballroom A + B	Clarendon Ballroom C
Session Chair	Fiona Chamberlain	Janet Robertshawe
10:30 – 12:00	User-centric service design Speakers: Zoe Dyson, Executive Director Experience, Strategy and Transformation, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) Vivek Agarwal, Human Centered Design Lead, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) Principal District Judge Thian Yee Sze, State Courts of Singapore Jan Dundon, CEO, Mental Health Tribunal (VIC)	Incorporating First Nations and Indigenous Māori values and perspectives into tribunals in Australia and Aotearoa: why and how Speakers: Sarah Eyre, Chairperson, Human Rights Review Tribunal, New Zealand  Rachel Palu, Chairperson, New Zealand Social Security Appeal Authority Michelle Gardner, Member, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VACT) Melissa Harrison, Executive Director, Koori Programs and Initiatives, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
12:00 – 13:00	Lunch \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
Room	Clarendon Ballroom A + B	Clarendon Ballroom C
Session Chair	Malcolm Schyvens	Sean Baker
13:00 – 14:30	Tips and traps for non-lawyer Members of Tribunals Speakers: Malcolm Schyvens, President, Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) and Chair, Council of Australasian Tribunals (COAT)  Nicole Burns, Senior Member, Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) Christine Fougere, Member, Mental Health Review Tribunal (NSW) Matthew Carroll, President, Mental Health Tribunal (VIC) Dr Robyn Mason, Health Practitioner Member, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) Rachel Naylor, Senior Member, Planning & Environment Division, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) Jack Nalpantidis, Member, Mental Health Tribunal (Vic)	Trauma informed tribunal decision making Speakers: Judge Patricia Riddell, County Court, Victoria Emma Montgomery, Deputy President, Mental Health Tribunal (VIC) Dr Chris Maylea, Professor, La Trobe Law School, Associate Director, Care Economy Research Institute La Trobe University
14:30 – 15:00	Afternoon Tea \| Pre-Function Area, Clarendon Ballroom
Room	Clarendon Ballroom
Session Chair	Dr Tina Parras
15:00 – 16:30	The Psychology of Procrastination Panel Members: Justice Cameron Macaulay, Judge of Appeal, Supreme Court of Victoria Richard Grueber, Deputy President, Division Head (General), Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) Diya Dey, Director of Health, Safety and Capability, Court Services Victoria
16:30 – 16:40	Conference Close Justice Ted Woodward, Chair, 2025 COAT National Conference Organising Committee and President, the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)