Structure and Operations
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Structure
The membership of the SSAT comprises the Executive Director, Directors and full and part-time members. All members are appointed by the Governor-General.
The Executive Director of the SSAT is supported by staff and members located in offices around Australia (in all capital cities except Darwin), as well as in the National Office (Melbourne).
All staff in the local SSAT offices and National Office are public servants employed under the Public Service Act 1999.
Executive Director
The Executive Director is directly responsible under the Administration Act to the Minister for Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs for the overall operation and administration of the SSAT. Appointed for a period of up to five years, the Executive Director is required to take reasonable steps to ensure that the decisions of the Tribunal are consistent and that its functions are performed efficiently and effectively.
As a member of the Tribunal, the Executive Director sits from time to time on hearing panels.
A National Manager assists the Executive Director with the Australia-wide Tribunal operations.
Directors
The Directors are accountable to the Executive Director for the performance of members and the day-to-day conduct of the business of the SSAT in their geographical areas.
Directors are appointed for periods of up to three years. There are currently full-time Directors in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney. The Director in Sydney is also responsible for the Australian Capital Territory office, the Adelaide Director for Tasmania and the Brisbane Director for the Northern Territory.
Directors are responsible for ensuring that Tribunal panels follow national procedures and for monitoring the quality and consistency of decisions in their area. They report to the Executive Director on such matters as anomalies in the legislation or problems/hardships caused by its administration, jurisdictional problems, trends emerging from appeal cases and other issues such as lack of consistency in particular areas of decision-making.
As members of the SSAT, Directors sit on hearing panels. They also participate in the national management process, principally as members of the Executive Group comprising the Executive Director, Directors and the National Manager.
Members
Hearings of the SSAT are conducted by both full and part-time members. Members are appointed by the Governor-General for a period of up to three years, on the basis of their specialist knowledge, communication skills, knowledge of the social security system or the child support scheme and their understanding of, and commitment to, the principles of administrative review.
The role of each member is to actively participate in a multi-disciplinary panel, bringing the benefit of their particular expertise and qualifications to the responsibility of deciding each appeal on its merits. All members must be able and willing to fully prepare and participate in hearings, as well as preside at hearings.
The membership is drawn from a wide range of expertise: members’ backgrounds including public administration, law, accounting, medicine and social welfare.
Operations
State Operations
Local SSAT offices are responsible for managing, co-ordinating and supporting members in conducting the SSAT’s day-to-day business of processing, hearing and deciding appeals. The SSAT has an office in the capital city of every state and territory except in Darwin. Northern Territory appeals are heard in the Territory but are managed by the SSAT's Brisbane office.
For reasons of efficient administration, the administrative area covered by each SSAT office does not necessarily follow State/Territory borders.
National Operations
The National Manager is responsible to the Executive Director for the management of the National Office, including the provision of support services (corporate, information technology, legal research and financial management) to the local SSAT offices and all staff.
The National Office of the SSAT is located In Melbourne. Staff in the National Office assist the Executive Director in meeting his/her statutory responsibilities to:
§ Monitor the operations of the SSAT;
§ Take reasonable steps to ensure its decisions are consistent; and
§ Ensure that it efficiently and effectively performs its functions.
Under the direction of the National Manager, the National Office supports the local SSAT offices and undertakes appropriate research and management/monitoring activities. The four major business units of the National Office are categorised as Finance, Information Technology, Legal Services and Corporate Operations.
The National Office is not involved in processing, hearing or deciding appeals.
Administrative Areas
If you would like more information about the SSAT, please contact the office nearest you.
The SSAT office in Adelaide covers South Australia and the Broken Hill area of New South Wales.
The SSAT office in Brisbane covers Queensland, the Northern Territory, the Kimberley area of Western Australia and north-east coastal New South Wales (including the area around Grafton, Coffs Harbour, Lismore and Ballina).
The SSAT office in Canberra covers the Australian Capital Territory, southern New South Wales and Wodonga in Victoria.
The SSAT office in Hobart covers Tasmania and most overseas Centrelink and Child Support appeals.
The SSAT office in Melbourne covers Victoria, except Wodonga.
The SSAT office in Perth covers Western Australia.
The SSAT office in Sydney covers New South Wales, except the south-east, south-west, and north-east coastal New South Wales.