Title
Fremantle law students compete in national grand final
Document Type
Media Release
Publication Date
Spring 28-10-2008
Publisher Name
The University of Notre Dame, Fremantle Campus
Publication Place
Fremantle
Abstract
Law students, Daniel O’Neill and Ben Martin from The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus, recently competed in the grand final of the National Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) mooting competition which was conducted in Sydney.
The moot competition consisted of 27 teams from 16 different law schools around Australia. Dan and Ben won the state rounds against the University of Western Australia and also progressed through the semi-final against Griffith University. Unfortunately they lost to the University of Queensland in the grand final, which was judged by the Honourable Justice Bennett AO of the Federal Court, senior member Josephine Kelly. a NSW Barrister who has worked in government law, environmental law and property law and Dr Maxwell Thorpe who has been a member of the AAT since 1985 and was previously a member of the Repatriation Review Tribunal.
The AAT is a merits review body which hears appeals on a range of administrative law matters. Mooting in the AAT is less formal than in judicial courts and the rules of evidence are not strictly applied.
The topics of the moots in this year’s competition included a claim for pension by a Vietnam War veteran, the re-registration of person as a tax agent and the refusal of citizenship based on national security interests.
Ben and Dan agreed that being involved in the moot competition was a great experience. “It definitely reinforces your ability to construct and argue a legal position, especially when you are appearing before senior members of the Tribunal and a Federal Court judge.” They believed that having the opportunity to participate in a moot via video conference was a great experience given how much business is now conducted in that way.
Media contact:
Michelle Ebbs 08 9433 0610, 0408 959 138
Recommended Citation
Ebbs, Michelle, "Fremantle law students compete in national grand final" (2008). Media Release Archive. 470.
https://researchonline.nd.edu.au/media_release/470