Rrt.gov.au
Title
Refugee Review Tribunal Homepage
Description
History
The Refugee Review Tribunal was established under Part 7 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) (the Act). It commenced operations on 1 July 1993. The Tribunal replaced the Refugee Status Review Committee (RSRC) which had the power to make recommendations only. The RSRC comprised of representatives from the then Department of Immigration, Local Government and Ethnic Affairs, the Attorney-General's Department, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the community.
Role and function
The Refugee Review Tribunal is an independent merits review tribunal. Its main function is to review decisions made by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs (DIMIA) to refuse or cancel protection visas to non-citizens in Australia. A criterion for the grant of a protection visa is the person is a non-citizen in Australia to whom Australia has protection obligations under the UN Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees (pdf) .
In addition to its function of reviewing DIMIA decisions relating to protection visas, the Tribunal also has the power, in respect of certain 'transitory persons', to conduct an assessment of whether a person is covered by the definition of a 'refugee' in Article 1A of the Refugees Convention as amended by the Protocol. A 'transitory person' (as defined by the Act) who has been in Australia for 6 months or more may apply directly to the Tribunal for an assessment.
