Question: The State Administrative Tribunal was intended to be a “one-stop-shop”. Feedback suggests disputes are not resolved quickly or cheaply. What alternatives are being considered?
Regarding dispute resolution, while the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) was intended to be a “one-stop-shop”, feedback suggests some disputes are still not being resolved quickly or cheaply. What are some of the alternative or supplementary dispute resolution pathways that are being seriously considered for Phase Two?
Answer: The feedback shows a strong desire for something like a strata commissioner role.
The feedback shows a really strong desire for something like a strata commissioner role. That would be a semi-judicial role, akin to the building commissioner or something like that. We’re having a look at that as part of Phase Two. There are certainly limited options.
We received really good feedback from SAT through the interviews. A whole bunch of strata disputes that go to SAT get resolved through SAT mediation before they go to a hearing. This was a bit of a surprise for us. We knew that service existed, but we didn’t know it was as effective as it is. Perhaps an additional state government offered mediation service might be another option.
This post appears in the May 2025 edition of The WA Strata Magazine.
Jamie Horner
Empire Estate Agents
E: JHorner@empireestateagents.com
P: (08) 9262 0400
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