Occupational licences

The government agency will tell you if the decision can be reviewed by NCAT.

Before coming to NCAT, you must first ask the government agency to review the decision. This is called an 'internal review'. You must request an internal review within 28 days of being told of the decision.

If you do not agree with the internal review decision, or you have not received a response within 21 days, you can apply to NCAT to have the decision reviewed.

In some cases, you can apply to NCAT without an internal appeal:

• if the decision is exempt from an internal review; or
• if an urgent review of the decision is needed to protect your interests

Check with the government agency if your decision is exempt.

You can either present your own case to NCAT or have a lawyer or non-lawyer agent represent you. You will usually need to attend the hearing to give your instructions to your lawyer or agent.

• Your lawyer or agent needs to complete a Notice of Representation and submit to NCAT in person or by post
• Send a copy of the Notice of Representation to the government agency you are applying against.

A non-lawyer agent needs to ask for permission to represent you from the Tribunal Member the next time the case is listed. You should attend with the agent in case NCAT does not allow the agent to appear for you. A lawyer does not need to ask for permission from the Member.

In most cases, you can apply to NCAT within 28 days from when you are notified of the internal review decision. 

You will need to provide following information on your application form:

• Your name, address and telephone number
• Name of the government agency that made the decision you want reviewed
• Date the original decision and the internal review decision were made
• Copy of the original decision and internal review decision (this is the letter sent to you by the government agency)
• A brief outline of why you think the decision is wrong.

Do you need a stay of the decision?

While you wait for NCAT to review the original decision, the decision still applies and the agency can implement it.  You can complete the Application for stay or interim order and lodge with your Application for review form.

You will receive a letter from NCAT telling you that your application has been received. You will be given a date for a directions hearing.

You will also receive documents from the government agency that it considers are relevant to the decision.

The purpose of a directions hearing is to agree on what the parties need to do to prepare the case for hearing.  

Normally you will be given a timetable to file your submissions and evidence with NCAT and provide a copy to the government agency.

Look through the documents that the government agency has provided to you and decide what further information NCAT will need when hearing your case.

Comply with the directions made at the directions hearing:

• You may have been asked to file and serve a statement or affidavit from yourself or other witnesses. Learn more about evidence and witnesses.
• Other relevant information may be character references from people who know you well, medical reports and police reports or statements.
• You must give a copy of any statements or other documents you want to rely on to NCAT and to the other party by the deadline given to you at the directions hearing.

NCAT's hearings are less formal than court hearings. In most cases, the application will be heard by a single Tribunal Member.

When the Tribunal reviews administrative decisions, the respondent (the agency) will usually present its evidence first. After the agency has given its evidence, the applicant will then present their evidence.

In these cases, the Tribunal’s role is to decide whether the agency made the correct decision.

The Tribunal Member may give their decision at the end of the hearing. If the Member needs time to consider the case, the decision will be given at a later date, usually within 3 months. More complex matters may take longer

You will receive a letter telling you of the decision that NCAT has made.

The decision may also be published on the NSW Caselaw website. You will be notified in writing before the written reasons are published.

NCAT does not usually make orders for one party to pay another party's legal costs. Learn more about legal costs.

If you are not satisfied with NCAT's decision, you may have a right of appeal to the Appeal Panel. Learn more about appealing an NCAT decision.