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MOTOR ACCIDENTS (COMPENSATION) APPEAL TRIBUNAL RULES 1986
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NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA
MOTOR ACCIDENTS (COMPENSATION) APPEAL TRIBUNAL
RULES 1986
As in force at 22 November 2017
Table of provisions
1 Citation ............................................................................................ 1
2 Commencement .............................................................................. 1
3 Definitions ........................................................................................ 1
4 Procedural ....................................................................................... 1
4A Powers of Associate Judge ............................................................. 2
5 Institution of reference to Tribunal ................................................... 2
6 Answer............................................................................................. 2
7 Mention before Tribunal ................................................................... 3
8 Evidence by affidavit ........................................................................ 4
9 Subpoenas ...................................................................................... 4
11 Costs ............................................................................................... 5
12 Rules of evidence ............................................................................ 5
13 Administration of oath ...................................................................... 5
14 Enforcement of orders ..................................................................... 5
15 Issue of practice directions .............................................................. 6
16 Approved forms ............................................................................... 6
ENDNOTES
NORTHERN TERRITORY OF AUSTRALIA
____________________
As in force at 22 November 2017
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MOTOR ACCIDENTS (COMPENSATION) APPEAL TRIBUNAL
RULES 1986
Rules under the Motor Accidents (Compensation) Act 1979
1 Citation
These Rules may be cited as the Motor Accidents (Compensation)
Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986.
2 Commencement
These Rules shall come into operation at the expiration of 14 days
from the date on which the making of the Rules is notified in the
Gazette.
3 Definitions
In these Rules:
party means a party to a reference, and includes the Commission.
reference means a matter referred to the Tribunal under
section 28D or 28E of the Act.
Registrar means the Registrar of the Tribunal.
4 Procedural
(1) A Registrar or an acting Registrar of the Supreme Court appointed
under the Supreme Court Act 1979 shall be the Registrar of the
Tribunal.
(2) The Registrar must keep a register of each reference containing the
following information:
(a) the name of the person making the reference;
(b) the other parties to the reference;
(c) the date the reference is lodged;
(d) the date of the Tribunal hearing;
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986 2
(e) the date of the Tribunal's decision;
(f) the nature of the decision;
(g) the other information the Registrar considers appropriate.
(3) The Tribunal may, if it thinks fit, dispense with compliance with a
requirement of these Rules either before or after the occasion for
compliance arises.
4A Powers of Associate Judge
An Associate Judge may exercise all the powers of the Tribunal
under these Rules other than the power to conduct the hearing of a
reference.
5 Institution of reference to Tribunal
(1) A reference shall be instituted by giving to the Registrar:
(a) notice in the approved form; and
(b) a copy of all relevant documents in the possession of the party
instituting the reference.
(2) A notice under subrule (1) shall be signed by the party instituting
the reference or a legal practitioner acting for that party and shall
contain an address for service not more than 15 kilometres from the
office of the Registrar where an answer, documents and written
communications may be left for the party.
(3) A copy of a notice referred to in subrule (1) shall be served on the
other parties by the party instituting the reference within 7 days
after the date on which the notice is given to the Registrar or within
such further period as the Tribunal may, on an application to it
made before or after the expiration of the 7 days, allow.
6 Answer
(1) A party may, where the party thinks it necessary, within 7 days from
the date of service of a notice referred to in rule 5, give the
Registrar:
(a) an answer in the approved form; and
(b) a copy of all relevant documents in the possession of the party
making the answer.
(2) An answer under subrule (1)(a) shall be signed by the party making
the answer or a legal practitioner acting for that party and shall
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986 3
contain an address for service not more than 15 kilometres from the
office of the Registrar where documents and written
communications may be left for the party.
(3) A copy of an answer referred to in subrule (1)(a) shall be served on
the other parties by the party making the answer within 7 days
notice of the date so fixed.
7 Mention before Tribunal
(1) After the expiration of the time for giving an answer under rule 6,
the Registrar shall fix a date for the mention of the reference before
the Tribunal and shall give the parties not less than 7 days notice of
the date so fixed.
(2) At a mention before the Tribunal referred to in subrule (1), the
Tribunal may give such directions as in its opinion are expedient for
the speedy and inexpensive determination of the reference
including, but not limited to any or all of the following:
(a) dispensing with compliance, either in whole or in part, with the
provisions of the Evidence (National Uniform Legislation)
Act 2011, the Evidence Act 1939 and the rules of evidence at
common law;
(b) requiring further particulars of the reference or answer to be
provided;
(c) ordering the delivery of an answer in accordance with rule 6 to
the reference;
(d) ordering mutual discoveries and inspection within a specified
time;
(e) settling the issues for the hearing of the reference;
(f) requiring a party who is injured as the result of an accident to
submit himself for a medical examination;
(g) fixing a date for further mention of the reference before the
Tribunal;
(h) ordering that the hearing of the reference be by way of
affidavit or oral evidence; or
(j) fixing a date for hearing of the reference.
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986 4
8 Evidence by affidavit
(1) Where, pursuant to rule 7, the Tribunal directs that the hearing of a
reference be by affidavit, then, unless a notice, in writing, requiring
cross-examination of a person making an affidavit is served on the
party relying on the affidavit by the other party not less than 7 days
before the date set down for the hearing of the reference, the
affidavit shall be admissible as evidence for the purposes of the
reference.
(2) Unless the Tribunal otherwise directs, the Oaths, Affidavits and
Declarations Act 2010 applies to and in relation to an affidavit to be
used in the hearing of a reference.
9 Subpoenas
(1) On the application of a party, the Registrar may issue a subpoena
requiring the attendance of a witness or the production of a
document or thing at the hearing of a reference.
(2) Where a person named in a subpoena for the production of a
document or thing, being a subpoena requiring attendance before
the Tribunal, is not a party, the subpoena shall, unless the Tribunal
otherwise orders, permit the person to produce the document or
thing to the Registrar not later than the day before the first date on
which the person's attendance is required, instead of attending and
producing the document or thing as required by the subpoena.
(3) Subrule (2) shall not apply to so much of a subpoena that requires
the person named to attend to testify at the hearing of the
reference.
(4) Where a person named in a subpoena is not a party and the person
incurs substantial expense or loss in complying with the subpoena,
the Tribunal may order that the party who requested the issue of
the subpoena pay to the person an amount which is sufficeint to
compensate the person for such expense or loss as is reasonably
incurred or lost by that person in complying with the subpoena.
(5) The Tribunal may, on the application of a person named in a
subpoena, set aside the subpoena in whole or in part.
(6) A notice of an application under subrule (5) shall be filed with the
Registrar and the person making the application shall serve a copy
of the notice on the party at whose request the subpoena was
issued.
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986 5
11 Costs
(1) Subject to these Rules and the Act, the costs of and incidental to a
reference to and a proceeding before the Tribunal shall be at the
discretion of the Tribunal.
(2) Costs shall follow the event, unless the Tribunal otherwise orders.
(3) In making an order as to costs, the Tribunal may make such further
orders as are necessary to give effect to its order, including, but not
limited to, an order:
(a) that costs be taxed before the Registrar and the procedures to
be followed in taxing costs;
(b) specifying the scale of costs to apply;
(c) fixing a lump sum amount of costs; or
(d) that a party pay the costs of a witness required to attend
before the Tribunal.
(4) Where it appears to the Tribunal that costs have been improperly,
or without reasonable cause, incurred, or there has been a failure,
without reasonable excuse, to comply with these Rules or an order
of the Tribunal made pursuant to these Rules, the Tribunal may
penalize the party at fault by making such order as to costs as it
thinks fit.
(5) Where the Tribunal orders a party to pay costs to another party,
that other party may recover those costs as if the order were a
judgment for the payment of money given by the Supreme Court.
12 Rules of evidence
Subject to the Act and these Rules and a direction of the Tribunal
made in pursuance of rule 7(2)(a), the Evidence (National Uniform
Legislation) Act 2011, the Evidence Act 1939 and the rules of
evidence at common law shall apply to a hearing of a reference.
13 Administration of oath
A person who gives evidence before the Tribunal shall, unless the
Tribunal otherwise orders, do so under oath.
14 Enforcement of orders
(1) Subject to these Rules, and without limiting any other means of
enforcement which may be available, the Tribunal may enforce an
order made by it in the same manner as if the order had been made
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986 6
by the Supreme Court and the Tribunal shall for the purposes of
enforcing such an order have the same powers as those of the
Supreme Court.
(2) A party interested in the execution or enforcement of an order made
by the Tribunal, ex parte, for directions as to the execution or
enforcement of the order.
(3) The Tribunal may, if it thinks fit, stay execution of an order made by
it.
15 Issue of practice directions
Subject to the Act and these Rules, the Tribunal may for the
purpose of regulating its practices and procedures, issue, from time
to time, such practice directions as it thinks fit.
16 Approved forms
The Registrar may approve forms for use under these Rules.
ENDNOTES
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986 7
ENDNOTES
1 KEY
Key to abbreviations
amd = amended od = order
app = appendix om = omitted
bl = by-law pt = Part
ch = Chapter r = regulation/rule
cl = clause rem = remainder
div = Division renum = renumbered
exp = expires/expired rep = repealed
f = forms s = section
Gaz = Gazette sch = Schedule
hdg = heading sdiv = Subdivision
ins = inserted SL = Subordinate Legislation
lt = long title sub = substituted
nc = not commenced
2 LIST OF LEGISLATION
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules (SL No. 5, 1986)
Notified 12 March 1986
Commenced 27 March 1986 (r 2)
Amendments of Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules (SL No. 14,
1998)
Notified 1 July 1998
Commenced 1 July 1998
Legal Profession (Consequential Amendments) Act 2007 (Act No. 7, 2007)
Assent date 17 May 2007
Commenced s 10: 1 July 2007 (Gaz G26, 27 June 2007, p 3);
rem: 17 May 2007
Territory Insurance Office and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2010 (Act No. 35,
2010)
Assent date 18 November 2010
Commenced pt 4: 1 January 2011; rem: 18 November 2010 (s 2)
Oaths, Affidavits and Declarations (Consequential Amendments) Act 2010 (Act No. 40,
2010)
Assent date 18 November 2010
Commenced 1 March 2011 (s 2, s 2 Oaths, Affidavits and Declarations Act
2010 (Act No. 39, 2010) and Gaz G7, 16 February 2011, p 4)
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Amendment (Evidence) Rules (SL
No. 6, 2013)
Notified 1 May 2013
Commenced 1 May 2013 (r 2)
ENDNOTES
Motor Accidents (Compensation) Appeal Tribunal Rules 1986 8
Territory Insurance Office (Sale) Act 2014 (Act No. 41, 2014)
Assent date 28 November 2014
Commenced pt 6, divs 1 and 2: nc (exp without commencing);
pt 6, div 3: 00:01hrs 1 January 2015 (Gaz S131,
19 December 2014, p 8); rem: 28 November 2014 (s 2)
Supreme Court Amendment (Associate Judges) Act 2017 (Act No. 18, 2017)
Assent date 5 September 2017
Commenced 22 November 2017 (Gaz S84, 21 November 2017, p 1)
3 GENERAL AMENDMENTS
General amendments of a formal nature (which are not referred to in the table
of amendments to this reprint) are made by the Interpretation Legislation
Amendment Act 2018 (Act No. 22, 2018) to: rr 1, 4, 7, 8 and 12.
4 LIST OF AMENDMENTS
r 3 amd No. 14, 1998, r 2
sub Act No. 35, 2010, s 41
amd Act No. 41, 2014, s 53; Act No. 18, 2017, s 36
r 4 amd No. 14, 1998, r 3; Act No. 35, 2010, s 42
r 4A ins No. 14, 1998, r 4
amd Act No. 18, 2017, s 36
r 5 amd No. 14, 1998, r 5; Act No. 7, 2007, s 16; Act No. 35, 2010, ss 43 and 48
r 6 amd No. 14, 1998, r 6; Act No. 7, 2007, s 16; Act No. 35, 2010, ss 44 and 48
r 7 amd No. 6, 2013, r 4
r 8 amd Act No. 40, 2010, s 202
r 9 amd Act No. 35, 2010, s 48
r 10 rep Act No. 35, 2010, s 45
r 11 amd No. 14, 1998, r 7
r 12 amd No. 6, 2013, r 5
r 16 sub Act No. 35, 2010, s 46
sch amd Act No. 7, 2007, s 16
rep Act No. 35, 2010, s 47