VCAT

Resolving Disputes Digitally at Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal : ODR Pilot Program

Nominated for two international awards for Best Project and Best Project Manager by the Deputy Secretary, Civil Justice and Director, Courts Policy at the Department of Justice and Regulation.

When the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was established 20 years ago to provide efficient, fair and affordable justice, it was at the forefront of innovative justice reform as the first Civil and Administrative Tribunal in Australia. VCAT acknowledges its current dispute resolution services, and the underlying processes, systems and capabilities to support these services, are designed for a 20th-century service delivery model. As a senior thought-leader:

I advised VCAT that to meet the increasing (and currently unmet) demand for justice services, it must embark on redesigning its services for Victorians.

Reporting to the CEO, my remit was to challenge the status-quo to create a significant paradigm shift so VCAT can deliver digitally-enabled services complementing its physical environment for the 21st century and improve access to justice.

Responsibilities & Contributions

  • Steered the design of new digital services, using human-centred service design (HCD), SAFe, agile delivery and lean six sigma,aligning these with the physical (built) environment, to execute on “VCAT for the Future 2018-2022” strategy to deliver Access to Justice (A2J) reforms.

  • Adopted sound financial planning and governance, including reporting benefits realisation to a program board of over 25 senior and executive stakeholders across the justice sector, including the Department of Justice, Community Legal Centres, non-government organisations and academia.

  • Established an outcomes-focussed approach to develop VCAT’s highest-priority funding need (VCAT for the Future: Resolving Disputes Digitally Innovation Business Case), supported by multiple open-market tender processes (in line with Victorian Government Procurement Board (VGPB) and probity) for a High-Value-High-Risk (HVHR), Expenditure Review Sub-Committee (ERSC) submission.

  • Applied Systems Thinking by leading the creation of a Service Design Blueprint to understand the broader ecosystem and how the justice sector might seek to understand what is desirable for customers, what it can afford (for what risk), and which platforms, technologies and capabilities might be required to resolve systemic issues and bring about true transformational and disruptive change to achieve a Preferred Reality in the future.

Achievements

  • Established an ‘Experience Lab’ for digital services in online dispute resolution as a creative space to immerse, empower and engage stakeholders, align competing needs (through HCD and co-design principles) which has received major acclaim from Department of Premier and Cabinet, Department of Treasury and Finance and other prominent stakeholders, culminating in an invitation to speak at an international Symposium on Online Dispute Resolution in November 2018 and an innovative work-integrated learning program between VCAT and Monash University.

  • Nominated for two international awards for Best Project and Best Project Manager by the Deputy Secretary, Civil Justice and Director, Courts Policy at the Department of Justice and Regulation.

  • Mobilised and coached high-performing teams who in 3-months were capable of challenging long-held assumptions and enacting systemic change to help improve access to justice for Victorians, recognised through a public interview on ABC National Radio as part of Writs and Cures, hosted by David Astle.

Julie Cook