One of the lesser-known measures to come out of this year’s budget is the amalgamation of the Migration Review Tribunal with various other review bodies into a single federal super-tribunal.
The government announced that the Migration Review Tribunal and the Refugee Review Tribunal are to be combined with the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Social Security Appeals Tribunal, the Classification Review Board and the review functions of the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
This amalgamation of federal tribunals mirrors the creation of super-tribunals at the state level, including the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT), the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) and the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) of Western Australia.
With a federal super-tribunal handling applications for review of decisions of the immigration department, it will be more important than ever to be represented by an experienced migration lawyer. The Migration Place and Irish Bentley Lawyers have considerable expertise in running appeals, including to the Migration Review Tribunal, the Federal Circuit Court and the various state super-tribunals.
If you are considering appealing a migration decision, contact our migration lawyers today to discuss your options.