A Major fee hikes is proposed for Victoria’s main administrative and dispute-resolution tribunal – the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (‘the Tribunal’). The Department of Justice have published a Regulatory Impact Statement for the proposed Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Fees Regulations, and sought comments on this by 15 February 2013.
We are concerned that this reform will significantly disadvantage ‘Mum and Dad’ objectors and community group applicants over big developers, corporations and government agencies, and in particular will reduce access to justice at the Tribunal.
Objectors in most planning disputes will be hit by fee increases from $322 to over $1000 just to get their matter listed. Then hearing fees of between around $370 and $1800 a day could be charged on top of that. Fee increases would rise under the proposal by an average of 56% and up to more than 2500% in the maximum case.
View Submission in response to Proposed VCAT (Fees) Regulations 2013 (PDF, 275KB)