Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Encyclopedia
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) is a government agency
in the state of Victoria, Australia. The name is pronounced 'vee-cat'. It is usually referred to as "VCAT" rather than "the VCAT".
The tribunal sits below the Magistrates Court in the court hierarchy.
It resolves disputes and makes executive decisions on behalf of the State Government in a number of miscellaneous areas, each of which is referred for adjudication to the Tribunal by its own separate statute. For each separate area the Tribunal keeps a List of matters to be adjudicated, analogous to a Court List.
VCAT's current lists are:
Decisions of the Tribunal can in most cases be appealed on a matter of law to the Supreme Court of Victoria
or if the original decision was made by the President or Vice President the appeal goes to the Court of Appeal.
Areas of unlawful discrimination include employment, education, provision of goods and services, accommodation, sport, clubs and club membership, and local government. (There are a number of exceptions that have been granted by the Anti-Discrimination List.) The Tribunal may also hear cases of sexual harassment in most of the areas above.
Government agency
A government or state agency is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types...
in the state of Victoria, Australia. The name is pronounced 'vee-cat'. It is usually referred to as "VCAT" rather than "the VCAT".
The tribunal sits below the Magistrates Court in the court hierarchy.
It resolves disputes and makes executive decisions on behalf of the State Government in a number of miscellaneous areas, each of which is referred for adjudication to the Tribunal by its own separate statute. For each separate area the Tribunal keeps a List of matters to be adjudicated, analogous to a Court List.
VCAT's current lists are:
- Anti-Discrimination List
- Credit List
- Civil Claims List (successor to the Small Claims Tribunal)
- Domestic Building List
- General List
- Guardianship List
- Land Valuation List
- Legal Practice List
- Occupational and Business Regulations List
- Planning List
- Real Property List
- Residential Tenancies List (for adjudication of disputes between landlord and tenant)
- Retail Tenancies List (for adjudication of disputes between landlord and tenant)
- Taxation List
Decisions of the Tribunal can in most cases be appealed on a matter of law to the Supreme Court of Victoria
Supreme Court of Victoria
The Supreme Court of Victoria is the superior court for the State of Victoria, Australia. It was founded in 1852, and is a superior court of common law and equity, with unlimited jurisdiction within the state...
or if the original decision was made by the President or Vice President the appeal goes to the Court of Appeal.
Anti-Discrimination List
The Anti-Discrimination List can hear cases where a complainant can establish both grounds and attributes for discrimination and do so in a recognised area of discrimination. Grounds or attributes for unlawful discrimination include age, gender, pregnancy, marital status, physical features, race, political beliefs, disability etc.Areas of unlawful discrimination include employment, education, provision of goods and services, accommodation, sport, clubs and club membership, and local government. (There are a number of exceptions that have been granted by the Anti-Discrimination List.) The Tribunal may also hear cases of sexual harassment in most of the areas above.