Administrative law developments

New South Wales developments

On 1 January 2014, a major overhaul of the NSW tribunal system saw the consolidation of 23 tribunals (including the Consumer, Trader and Tenancy Tribunal (CTTT) and the Administrative Decisions Tribunal (ADT)) to form NSW's first 'super tribunal', the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT). The work of the Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division within NCAT includes the review of administrative decisions made by NSW Government agencies and the resolution of discrimination matters. This Division takes up some of the work of the former ADT.

Another important development was the publication, in June 2014, of a report by the Information Commissioner on the operation of the Government Information (Public Access) Act 2009 (NSW) (GIPA Act). The report covered the period 2010 to 2013 and, broadly speaking, found that NSW Government agencies appear to be 'adopting the (GIPA) Act's operation and strategic intent'. The NSW Attorney General is currently conducting a review of the GIPA Act, the purpose of which is to consider whether its policy objectives remain valid and whether its terms are appropriate for securing those objectives. The review is also considering the relationship between the GIPA Act and...