Western Australia State Administrative Tribunal: a long time coming - worth the wait

The Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal conducts only merit review of primary decisions made by executive government. But since the mid-1990s, Australian States have moved to the single, generalist tribunal model of multiple jurisdiction which also makes primary administrative decisions and adjudicates civil disputes between citizens. On 1 January 2005, Western Australia's State Administrative Tribunal finally opened its doors, now leaving only Queensland to follow this trend. Focusing on the State Administrative Tribunal's role in merits review of administrative decisions, this article critically analyses key features identified as achieving optimal standards of merits review and assesses whether, and to what extent, the State Administrative Tribunal achieves these standards.