Social Security Appeals Tribunal

Abstract

In 1975 the Commonwealth Government established the Social Security Appeals Tribunal, its first attempt at an external review of decision. The Tribunal has offered new avenues of activities for social workers, as members of the Tribunal itself, as advocates before it and as advisers to appellants. This paper examines the need for such a process, the structure and operations of the Tribunal and its possible future.

The Social Security Act has created a system which combines statutory direction with many areas of discretionary judgement. A successful review process must bring appropriate expertise to the examination of the decisions being appealed against and strike some balance between speed and informality and a thorough analysis of the issues. It should be sufficiently formal for its operations to be understandable and regular and yet accessible to clients who are amongst the most disadvantaged in the community.