Outreach and Community Education

The SSAT's national outreach strategy is directed at improving knowledge and understanding of the SSAT in the Australian community, as well as providing a means of strategically managing key stakeholder relationships. It recognises that outreach is a core and ongoing role for the SSAT. To be accessible to the community the community must know of the Tribunal's existence.

Efforts to inform groups about the role and work of the SSAT include information sessions to community groups, Legal Aid solicitors, invitations to interested parties to observe SSAT hearings and learn about the application process, and ongoing liaison with Welfare Rights organisations. The SSAT is also committed to promoting awareness of - and access to - review for Indigenous people.

Local SSAT registries also maintain ongoing relationships with local Centrelink and Child Support Agency management and staff to improve access to the review system.

The SSAT is very conscious of the limit on the resources it can devote to outreach and the balance it needs to strike between making people aware of the service the SSAT can provide, without appearing to be 'advertising' for applications. However the SSAT believes that it does have a role to inform people about their right to apply to the SSAT so that they can decide whether or not to exercise that right.