Home         Accessibility        
To Advanced Search

Hearing Arrangements

On this page:
SSAT Hearings

Hearings can be held in a number of convenient ways. The method of conducting the hearing (whether face-to-face, by telephone or video-conference) does not affect the process or outcome.

To ensure the accessibility of its services to those living outside metropolitan areas, the SSAT also conducts hearings in regional centres throughout the country, by telephone or by video-conference.

Please contact your nearest SSAT office to discuss the most suitable hearing method for your appeal.
Back to top

Face-To-Face Hearings

Most SSAT hearings are conducted face-to-face with the applicant and the SSAT members in the same room. However, there are regional variations.

The hearing is held in a room in the SSAT offices. The hearing room arrangement is professional but not formal. There are usually two members who sit at a table with you. Hearings are not open to members of the public so there will usually be no-one else present in the hearing room, unless an interpreter is arranged or an applicant brings a support person with them. Centrelink is not present at the hearing although in rare cases the Tribunal might wish to speak to someone from Centrelink about the case – that would usually be done by phone.
Back to top
Telephone Hearings

In appropriate cases, telephone hearings provide an alternative to face-to-face or video-conference hearings. These hearings are held when parties are not able to attend the hearing in person. SSAT members will call using a telephone with a loudspeaker so that everyone in the hearing room can hear the conversation.

To prepare for your telephone hearing, make sure the telephone you will use for the hearing is in a quiet, private room, with no distractions. If possible, make sure you won’t be interrupted during the call. Think about whether you will need to use a telephone with a loudspeaker, so that other people with you can speak to and hear the members. Although a mobile telephone number can be used, it is preferable if you can use a landline telephone. There is less risk of interference or that the line will “drop out” during the hearing. If using a mobile telephone please ensure that it is fully charged before the hearing.

Your Case Manager can provide you with information at each step in the appeal process, including how your appeal can be heard by telephone.
Back to top

Video-conference Hearings

Where available, hearings by video-conference provide an alternative to telephone or face-to-face hearings. These hearings are held over a video link when parties are not able to attend the hearing in person. This means that parties are able to see and hear the SSAT members (and any other parties present) in the hearing room.

As with all methods of hearings, a Case Manager will provide you with information at each step in the appeal process.
Back to top

Regional Hearings

To ensure the accessibility of its services to those living outside metropolitan areas, the SSAT may conduct hearings in regional centres throughout the country.

Centrelink appeal hearings have been conducted in centres such as Launceston in Tasmania, Orange and Broken Hill in New South Wales, Cairns and Toowoomba in Queensland, Bunbury and Mandurah in Western Australia, Bendigo in Victoria, Mt Gambier in South Australia and Alice Springs in the Northern Territory.

If you live in a regional centre, please contact an SSAT office in the Capital City nearest you to discuss the most suitable hearing method for your appeal.
Back to top