Commentary
Australia’s federal Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus announced on Dec. 16 that the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) would be replaced by a new body.
The AAT was established under the Fraser Coalition government in 1976 to review government administrative decisions. Thus, it is an important judicial organ in terms of government accountability.
It has jurisdiction to make decisions on a wide range of matters, from refugee applications to review of taxation assessments.
In announcing its abolition, Dreyfus trotted out the usual criticism that the AAT had been “stacked” with people with connections to the former Coalition government.
“The AAT’s public standing has been irreversibly damaged as a result of the actions of the former government over nine years,” Dreyfus said….