The AAT is committed to engaging with the broad range of external stakeholders who use our services or have an interest in our work. By actively engaging with stakeholders, we are able to learn about developments that may affect us, obtain feedback on and improve our services, develop cooperative relationships to facilitate the delivery of our services, and promote a wider understanding of our role and operations to help build public trust and confidence in our decision-making. We share information in a variety of ways, most notably through the publication of our decisions with written reasons.

Engaging with stakeholders

The President, Registrar, Division Heads and other senior representatives of the AAT met with a range of people and organisations in 2018–19, including the Secretaries of the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department of Home Affairs, to discuss issues relating to the operations of the AAT. Regular liaison meetings continued with the Law Council of Australia and representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Senior staff worked closely with the Attorney-General’s Department during the reporting year on matters such as our membership, jurisdiction, legislation and budget.

During 2018–19, the AAT expanded its approach to more targeted liaison with stakeholders in relation to the operation of the review process in particular areas of the AAT’s caseload and key areas of practice including at the local registry level. Further details of jurisdictional and local engagement were outlined earlier in this chapter.

Engaging with students

The AAT offered two competitions during 2018–19 for students to learn more about administrative law and the AAT’s role and processes. Our 14th National Mooting Competition was held between July and October 2018. It involved 23 teams of students from universities across Australia presenting submissions on scenarios drawn from the AAT’s different jurisdictions in mock hearings, adjudicated by AAT members. The winning team was from the University of Notre Dame. Our sixth Negotiating Outcomes on Time (NOOT) Competition was held in May 2019. It involved 11 teams of students from universities in Queensland, South Australia and Western Australia participating in developed conciliation scenarios adjudicated by AAT members and conference registrars. The winning team was from the University of Southern Queensland.