President Justice Emilios Kyrou has set out some general principles to help parties looking to refer a decision by the Tribunal to the Guidance and Appeals Panel.

The Guidance and Appeals Panel is a new feature of the Tribunal, providing a way for us to escalate issues and ensure the quality of Tribunal decisions.

On 6 December 2024, Justice Kyrou published a statement of reasons for his decision not to refer an application to the Guidance and Appeals Panel on the basis of an error of law or fact.

While the President is not required by the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 to provide reasons for a decision, Justice Kyrou said this case about child support gave him the opportunity to set out some general principles to assist parties in other cases who may be considering making an application for referral of a Tribunal decision.

The decision will also help ensure there is consistency within the Tribunal when assessing applications to the Guidance and Appeals Panel.

The President said the principles were not exhaustive nor prescriptive and may be refined as more applications for referral to the Guidance and Appeals Panel are made.

Read the full statement of reasons [PDF, <1 MB]. Please note that names used in the published decision are pseudonyms.

You can find more information about the Guidance and Appeals Panel and how to apply on our website.