Victorians in Melbourne’s south-east are to have their disputed cases heard and resolved faster, with the opening of a new Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) facility in Frankston.
Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes said the facility in the heart of Frankston’s shopping and business district would help fast track disputes and clear the backlog of cases caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The new VCAT site on Balmoral Street will mainly be used to hear renting, consumer and guardianship matters – and also includes remote witness facilities to better support people affected by family violence,” Ms Symes said.
“The new facility will also offer alternative dispute resolution, including the Fast Track Mediation and Hearing program – a partnership between VCAT and the Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria,” she said.
“It becomes the second VCAT site to have a Koori hearing room, which will provide accessible and culturally appropriate dispute resolution services.”
Ms Symes said work was also ongoing to support paperless file management at the Tribunal, which was expected to further increase its capacity to conduct remote hearings.
The Attorney-General said Frankston was the second of three new state-of-the-art VCAT venues, with the first site opened in February last year in Oakleigh and the third site on track to be opened in Bundoora next month.
