Matt Thistlethwaite (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

If the Australian public are going to have confidence in the review of administrative decisions by an independent body in this country then we need to restore trust to the workings of the Administrative Review Tribunal. There's a saying in Western democracies—and it's at the heart of the system of the separation of powers—that justice must not only be done but be seen to be done. That is crucially important if the public are going to have confidence in the review of decisions that are made by administrative bodies—effectively by arms of government—that affect the rights and the lives of Australian citizens.

It's fair to say that, under the previous government, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal and how it was operated did not provide that justice was seen to be done, because the previous government stacked that body with political appointments. They appointed dozens and dozens of individuals from the one political party to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal. Many of those appointments were for individuals who possessed no relevant experience or expertise, some of whom were active lobbyists. The problems at the AAT extended beyond the absence of merit based selection processes under the former government. The Albanese government is committed to restoring trust—

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