- Experienced legal practitioners appointed State Administrative Tribunal members
- The appointees have strong backgrounds serving on tribunals
Attorney General John Quigley has announced the appointments of Kathryn Cobbett and Karen Lang as part-time ordinary members of the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT).
Ms Cobbett is currently a part-time legal member of the Mental Health Tribunal (MHT), presiding over hearings relating to safeguarding the rights of involuntary mental health patients in Western Australia.
Prior to her MHT role, she provided legal representation and advice in complex matters during two six-year periods at the State Solicitor's Office as an assistant state solicitor and solicitor.
Ms Lang was a senior sessional SAT member for 20 years before being appointed to her new position, working in the human rights, commercial and civil, and vocational regulation streams.
Between 2008 and 2010, she also served as commissioner of the WA Liquor Commission and from 2004 to 2011 as a legal member and deputy chair of the former Building Disputes Tribunal.
SAT determines a wide range of disputes such as resources and development matters including town planning, commercial and civil, and guardianship and administration disputes.
Ms Cobbett and Ms Lang have both been appointed for terms of five years expiring in mid-2029.
As stated by Attorney General John Quigley:
"Kathryn Cobbett and Karen Lang have previously worked in tribunals and gained extensive expertise in conducting hearings and delivering decisions.
"They will be well suited to managing the high volume and large workload in the guardianship and administration jurisdiction within SAT's human rights stream.
"Congratulations to Ms Cobbett and Ms Lang on becoming new part-time ordinary members."
