2025 COAT NSW Conference - conferences.com.au

Invitation to Attend

On behalf of the organising committee, I am delighted to invite you to the 2025 COAT NSW Conference held on Friday, 21 November 2025 at the Pullman Hotel Sydney Hyde Park.

This year’s theme, Diversity, Accessibility & Inclusion, will focus on how tribunals can better reflect and serve our diverse communities. The program will feature sessions on inclusive practices, improving access to justice, and embracing diverse perspectives within tribunal work.

Whether you’re a new or experienced tribunal member, legal or non-legal, or in a leadership role, there will be something for you.

Warm regards,

Rachel Da Costa
Convenor, 2025 COAT NSW Conference Organising Committee

Registration

Early Registration

An early registration discounted fee will be offered and will be available until 10 October 2025.

Payments and Currency

Payments can be made securely with a credit card or by EFT within 7 days of registering. All prices are quoted in Australian Dollars (AUD$), unless otherwise stated.

Confirmation and Tax Invoice

You will be sent a confirmation email with a PDF Tax Invoice when you complete a booking. Please check your email is entered correctly on the booking form and check your junk mail folder.

Terms and Conditions

Terms and conditions apply to all registrations. View the terms and conditions.

Member Rates

To be eligible for the member rates, you must be a current financial individual member of COAT NSW. COAT National tribunal/organisational membership is different to COAT NSW, which are separate legal entities (although closely affiliated). To become a member of COAT NSW (at a cost of $50.00, please visit https://coat.asn.au/membership/ and select the COAT NSW Individual Account option.

Group Registrations

Would your organisation like to have a group of your members or staff attend the conference but you are too busy to get everyone registered now?

Make a group booking!

By making a group booking you can:

Purchase multiple registrations across all categories (member, non-member, in-person, online)
Generate a single invoice for billing
Register individuals closer to the conference

This is also a great way to ensure you secure the reduced early registration fees for your team.

Group bookings will close with early registration on 10 October 2025.

Speakers

Dr Anthea Vogl

Associate Professor of Law at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Dr Jon Fogarty

Member of the NSW Medical Council

Professor Emeritus Reg Graycar

Barrister Practising in NSW

Hon. Justice Yaseen Shariff

Federal Court of Australia

Judge Susanne Cole

District Court of NSW

Alex Bowen

Research Fellow with the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub at the University of Melbourne

Lili Zhang

Business Information Security Officer, Cyber and Information Security Office, Department of Customer Service

Kevin O’Sullivan

Clinical and Forensic Psychologist

Jatinder Bal

Manager Security Awareness, Cyber and Information Security Office, Department of Customer Service

Sarah Cook

Member National Sports Tribunal and CEO of Rowing Australia

Sophie White

Program

DIVERSITY, ACCESSIBILITY, AND INCLUSION

This program is designed to contribute to meet the compulsory CPD requirements of NSW legal practitioners who work in tribunals as well as mediators for the National Mediator Accreditation System.

0815	Registration and tea/coffee \| Level 1 Foyer
	Plenary Session
Room	Ibis Room Combined
Session Chair	Rachel Da Costa, Member of the Administrative Review Tribunal
0845 – 0900	Conference Welcome Rachel Da Costa, Convenor, 2025 Organising Committee Acknowledgment Of Country
0900 – 0930	Keynote Address: Diversity in Judiciary and Tribunals – how diversity within judicial and tribunal membership can assist in promoting access to justice Justice Yaseen Shariff, Federal Court of Australia
Session Chair	Deputy President Shahyar Roushan, Administrative Review Tribunal
0930 – 1030	The challenges and benefits of lived experience of Tribunal Members Presentation Slides Download Panel Members: Sophie White, Member of the Veterans’ Review Board Dr Jon Fogarty, Member of the NSW Medical Council Sarah Cook OLY, Member National Sports Tribunal and CEO of Rowing Australia
1030 – 1100	Morning Tea \| Level 1 Foyer
	Plenary Session
Room	Ibis Room Combined
Session Chair	Gary Lobb, Capability Development Advisor, Administrative Review Tribunal
1100 – 1145	Judicial Trauma – All in a Days Work Presentation Slides Download Dr Kevin O’Sullivan, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist
Session Chair	Meena Sripathy, Senior Member of the Administrative Review Tribunal & Jodie Camden, Member of the Administrative Review Tribunal
1145 – 1245	Communicating effectively across culture, language and diversity Presentation Slides Download Anthea Vogl, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Alex Bowen, Research Fellow with the Indigenous Law and Justice Hub at the University of Melbourne.
1230 – 1330	Lunch \| Windows on the Park Restaurant
	Concurrent Sessions
Room	Ibis Room 1	Ibis Room 2
Session Chair	Kate Robinson, Principal Member, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal	Dr Meda Couzens, University of Western Sydney
1330 – 1430	Recent developments in administrative law Presentation Slides Download Professor Emeritus Reg Graycar	Supporting children in proceedings – international law and domestic practice Presentation Slides Download Ally Pettitt, Solicitor, Legal Aid NSW Dr Sevda Clark, Thomas More Law School, ACU and Member of the Administrative Review Tribunal
Session Chair	Christine Fougere, Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal	Dr Sevda Clark, Member of the Administrative Review Tribunal
1430 – 1530	Oral reasons: when, why and how Presentation Slides Download Judge Susanne Cole, District Court of NSW	Challenges and opportunities for applicants with disability interacting with Tribunals Professor Emeritus Ron McCallum AO Michael McIvor, Director, Accessibility and User-Centred Design, Administrative Review Tribunal Rukiya Stein, Independent Communication Intermediary/ Accredited Witness Intermediary
1530 – 1600	Afternoon Tea \| Level 1 Foyer
	Plenary Session
Room	Ibis Room Combined
Session Chair	Marianne Christmann, Principal Registrar, Personal Injury Commission
1600 – 1655	Cyber Security – Is it time to panic Presentation Slides Download Lili Zhang, Business Information Security Officer, Cyber and Information Security Office, Department of Customer Service Jatinder Bal, Manager Security Awareness, Cyber and Information Security Office, Department of Customer Service
1655 – 1700	Closing Remarks Rachel Da Costa, Convenor, 2025 Organising Committee
1700	Conference Drinks \| Ibis Room Foyer

2025 COAT NSW Organising Committee

Rachel Da Costa (Chair), Member, Administrative Review Tribunal
Meena Sripathy, Senior Member, Administrative Review Tribunal
Christine Fougere, Member, Mental Health Review Tribunal
Gary Lobb, Capability Development Advisor, Administrative Review Tribunal
Simon Handebo, Principal Member, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Kate Robinson, Principal Member, NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal
Dr Sevda Clark, Member, Administrative Review Tribunal

Conference Venue

Pullman Sydney, Hyde Park
36 College St, Sydney NSW 2010