Elise Archer,Attorney-General
It was my great pleasure to officially launch the Tasmanian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (TASCAT) today.
This marks a significant occasion in the history of Tasmania's justice system.
The establishment of TASCAT will provide greater consistency in decision making, promote alternative dispute resolution and enable seamless service delivery to a diverse range of clients, and is important step to improving access to justice for all Tasmanians.
While the idea of a single tribunal had only ever been previously talked about for decades, I am proud it has been prioritised and now achieved by our Government.
The formal establishment of TASCAT integrates the current functions and responsibilities of nine tribunals*, creating a "one-stop shop" for Tasmanians who need to come before these various decision making bodies.
This achievement has been supported by the passing of two tranches of enabling legislation in both 2020 and more recently this year. Importantly, this significant reform will mean a more client-centric focus, particularly for our protective jurisdictions which often deal with our most vulnerable Tasmanians.
We have been working closely with Mr Malcolm Schyvens, the inaugural President of TASCAT who was appointed last year, to ensure that the commencement of TASCAT's operations could progress smoothly.
I am also currently looking at other decision making functions that can be transferred to TASCAT in the future, and look forward to progressing this further work early next year.
