VCAT

Question 1

what is victorian civil and administrative tribunal (VCAT)?

Answer 1

a tribunal that deals with disputes relating to a range of civil issues that are heard by various ‘lists’ (i.e. sections) of the tribunal

Question 2

VCAT is made up of 5 divisions:

Answer 2

• administrative division
• civil division
• human rights division
• planning and environment division
• residential tendencies division

Question 3

what is VCAT led by?

Answer 3

• president (Supreme Court judge)
• vice president (County Court judge)

Question 4

what is VCAT’s aim?

Answer 4

VCAT aims to be low cost, accessible and efficient dispute resolution body which:
- charges low fees to hear disputes
- has various locations across victoria
- tries to hear cases quickly
- less formal atmosphere than courts
- uses methods such as mediation and compulsory conferences between parties to try and solve many disputes

Question 5

how long does case resolution take through VCAT?

Answer 5

• for simple residential claims, VCAT aims to have a decision in under 4 weeks
• other cases will take longer
• if a case is complex, a decision may take a number of months and sometimes years