Conciliation FAQs

Yes. Although conciliation is a voluntary process, NCAT is required by law to encourage parties to reach agreement through a resolution process, such as conciliation, before the hearing can take place.

Generally, only the people involved in the dispute attend the conciliation.  An agent, advocate or interpreter may also be present.  At our larger hearing venues a Conciliator may be available to help with your conciliation discussions.

You will need to ask the other person involved in the dispute for their permission for your support person to be present during the conciliation.

If you feel threatened by the other party at any time during the conciliation session, please let the Conciliator, Tribunal Member or security officer know immediately.

Where a Conciliator is available, their role is to assist a number of conciliating parties at the same time. It is not possible for them to spend all their time in one conciliation session.

If you are not happy with the conciliated agreement, you must let the Tribunal Member know before it is made into a binding Tribunal order.  When you return to the hearing room, tell the Tribunal Member that you want to reconsider agreeing to a settlement and that you want the matter to proceed to hearing.

No. Once a conciliated agreement is confirmed, it becomes a binding Tribunal order.  Before making the order, the Tribunal Member will ask you to confirm you freely entered into the agreement and understand the effects of the terms of the agreement.

If conciliation is unsuccessful, or if only one party appears, the matter will either be heard on the day, if time permits, or be listed for another day. Orders may be made even if only one party appears (these are known as ‘ex parte orders’).

Sometimes if the parties need to obtain further evidence or if more time is needed to hear the dispute, the hearing may be adjourned to a formal hearing at a later date.