NSW NCAT Parramatta OD List Today

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) Occupational Division sits at Parramatta to review licensing decisions and hear professional discipline matters for people who work in regulated occupations across Western Sydney and the wider state. This page brings together the daily Occupational Division (OD) hearing list for the Parramatta venue, so applicants, respondents, legal representatives, witnesses and members of the public can confirm exactly when and where a matter is being heard. Listings are refreshed regularly and can be searched by case number or party name, giving you a fast, reliable way to plan your day around a tribunal appearance.

NCAT began operating on 1 January 2014 under the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013 (NSW), consolidating the work of 22 former tribunals into a single point of access for specialist tribunal services in NSW. The Occupational Division is one of four operating divisions, sitting alongside the Consumer and Commercial Division, the Guardianship Division, and the Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division. Understanding how the OD works, and how its lists are published, helps you arrive prepared and avoid the stress of a missed or misread listing.

What the Occupational Division Decides

The Occupational Division reviews decisions made by government agencies about occupational licensing, and it hears complaints concerning professional conduct and discipline. In practice, the Division handles two broad streams of work. The first is the administrative review of licensing decisions, where a person or business asks the Tribunal to look again at a regulator's decision. The second is professional discipline, where a complaint about a practitioner's conduct is referred to the Tribunal for determination.

Licensing matters heard in the Occupational Division commonly involve:

• Drivers and operators of taxis, buses, hire cars and tow trucks
• Security guards, builders, real estate agents, motor dealers and repairers
• Pawnbrokers and second-hand dealers, stock and station agents, and business agents
• Travel agents, valuers and licensed conveyancers

Professional discipline cases in the Division frequently concern:

• Health practitioners
• Legal practitioners
• Veterinary practitioners
• Architects
• Building professionals

Because the outcomes can affect a person's livelihood, the Occupational Division applies careful, structured procedures. There is generally a broader right to legal representation in this Division than in some other parts of the Tribunal, reflecting the seriousness of licence suspensions, cancellations and disciplinary findings.

The Orders the Tribunal Can Make

Decisions and orders made by NCAT are legally enforceable and binding, which means they must be complied with. In many matters a decision is delivered at the end of the hearing, while in more complex cases a Tribunal Member may reserve the decision and hand it down on a later date. When an application is determined, the Tribunal will usually make one of three outcomes: it may approve the full orders the applicant sought, approve only part of the application, or decline the application. Under the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2013, a party who does not receive reasons can request a written statement of reasons within 28 days of being notified of the decision.

NCAT by the Numbers: Verified Statistics

NCAT is one of the busiest tribunals in Australia, and the scale of its work shows why accurate hearing lists matter so much. According to the NCAT Annual Report 2023-2024, the Tribunal recorded the following across all divisions in the 2023-24 financial year:

• 71,223 applications lodged, a 6.8% decrease compared with 2022-23
• 70,666 matters finalised, achieving an overall clearance ratio of 99.2%
• 104,837 hearings and other listing events held across 48 locations in NSW
• 616 internal appeals lodged during the year
• 60.3% of all applications lodged online
• 1,372,331 visits to the NCAT website, with more than 3 million pages viewed

For context, the Tribunal received 76,437 applications in 2022-23 and 70,448 in 2021-22, so demand has remained consistently high year on year. The Consumer and Commercial Division is the largest single stream of work, but the Occupational Division carries a specialised and often complex caseload where each matter can have significant consequences for a licensed professional. In 2023-24, NCAT received just 419 complaints about its own service, equal to a complaint in only 0.59% of all matters lodged, an indicator of how smoothly the Tribunal's high-volume operations generally run.

Finding the NCAT Parramatta OD List

Since 30 November 2020, NCAT has published searchable online hearing lists for the Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division and the Occupational Division, drawing real-time information from the Tribunal's case management system. These lists include listing details for administrative review, anti-discrimination and professional discipline cases, and they can be searched by case number or party name.

A few practical points help you read the list correctly:

• The default view shows today's listings; you can use the date filter to view hearings from the past 7 days or up to 3 weeks into the future.
• The Tribunal Member (presiding officer) and hearing room details typically display only from the day of the hearing, so early listings may not yet show a room number.
• On the NSW Online Registry Court and Tribunal Lists, select "NCAT" as the jurisdiction and then choose the Parramatta venue to narrow results.
• Information on the official live lists is updated frequently, so it is always worth refreshing on the morning of your hearing.

If you are attending in person, allow time to find the venue, pass through security and locate your room. If your matter sits in a different NCAT stream, you can also review NCAT Parramatta Consumer and Commercial listings or appeal matters on the NCAT Parramatta Appeal Panel page.

Parramatta Registry and Precinct

The NCAT Parramatta Registry is located opposite the Department's Parramatta Justice Precinct and is roughly a 15-minute walk from Parramatta station, with several parking stations available throughout the Parramatta CBD. Disabled access and accessible toilets are available at the venue. General telephone enquiries can be made on 1300 006 228, with the phone line for the Administrative and Equal Opportunity and Occupational Divisions reached by following the prompts. NCAT's standard opening hours are 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. Registry staff can provide procedural information but cannot give legal advice.

Why the Occupational Division Matters in Western Sydney

Parramatta is the geographic and administrative heart of Greater Western Sydney, home to a fast-growing population and a dense concentration of licensed trades, transport operators, property professionals and health and legal practitioners. Hosting Occupational Division work at Parramatta reduces travel for parties who would otherwise need to attend the Sydney CBD, improving access to justice for a large and diverse community. The Tribunal's design philosophy, drawn from its founding legislation, is to resolve disputes justly, quickly, cheaply and with as little formality as possible, and a local venue supports that goal directly.

Access to justice is a recurring theme in how NCAT operates. The Tribunal offers plain-language forms, simplified processes, and services that support self-representation in most matters, so people can bring or respond to an application without necessarily engaging a lawyer. That said, given the stakes in occupational licensing and discipline, many parties in the OD choose to be represented, and the Division's procedures accommodate that.

Preparing for an Occupational Division Hearing

Being organised well before your listed date makes a measurable difference to how a hearing runs. The following checklist reflects the way the Occupational Division operates in practice:

• Confirm your listing. Check the hearing list the day before and again on the morning of your hearing, as room and member details are finalised close to the date.
• Know your legislation. Occupational Division applications specify the Act and section that give the Tribunal jurisdiction, so identify the relevant law before you file or respond.
• Mind the time limits. Strict statutory time limits apply to many OD applications, and late applications must explain why they fall outside the allowed period.
• Organise your evidence. Bring hard copies of documents for the Registry, as NCAT does not accept filing of applications, submissions or evidence by email in these Divisions.
• Arrive early. Factor in security screening and the walk from public transport or parking.

Where a matter has a criminal or civil dimension that sits outside the Tribunal's jurisdiction, it may instead be dealt with in the general court system. For example, some appeals from Tribunal decisions can proceed to the Supreme, District or Land and Environment Court, and litigants in the Parramatta precinct sometimes have parallel matters at the Parramatta District Court. If your matter concerns occupational licensing heard in the Sydney CBD instead, you can review the Occupational Division hearings in Sydney for comparison.

How the Occupational Division Fits Within NCAT

NCAT's four divisions each have their own structure and procedures that reflect the nature of the work they carry out. The Administrative and Equal Opportunity Division reviews decisions made by NSW government agencies and resolves anti-discrimination complaints. The Consumer and Commercial Division, the largest by volume, handles everyday disputes including tenancy, strata, building and consumer claims. The Guardianship Division makes decisions about the care, welfare and finances of people who cannot make those decisions for themselves. The Occupational Division rounds out the structure by focusing on the licensing and professional conduct matters described above. An Appeal Panel sits across all divisions, hearing internal appeals from decisions made at first instance.

This clear separation of functions is one reason NCAT can process such a large caseload while maintaining a high clearance ratio. Each division develops specialised expertise, and hearing lists are published by division and by venue so that parties can find precisely the right listing without wading through unrelated matters.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "OD" mean on the NCAT Parramatta list?

OD stands for the Occupational Division of NCAT. It reviews government licensing decisions and hears professional conduct and discipline matters for regulated occupations, including trades, transport operators, property professionals, and health and legal practitioners.

How far in advance are NCAT Occupational Division hearings listed?

You can search the online hearing lists for matters heard in the past 7 days and up to 3 weeks into the future. The presiding Tribunal Member and hearing room are usually only shown from the day of the hearing.

Can I search the list by name or case number?

Yes. NCAT's Occupational Division hearing lists can be searched using either the party name or the case file number, for example a number in the format 2014/00001234.

Where is the NCAT Parramatta Registry located?

The Parramatta Registry sits opposite the Parramatta Justice Precinct, about a 15-minute walk from Parramatta station, with parking stations available across the Parramatta CBD. The venue has disabled access and accessible toilets.

Do I need a lawyer for an Occupational Division matter?

Not necessarily. NCAT is designed to support self-represented parties with plain-language forms and simplified processes. However, because occupational licensing and discipline outcomes can affect your livelihood, there is generally a broader right to representation in this Division, and many parties choose to engage a legal practitioner.

Are NCAT decisions binding?

Yes. Decisions and orders made by NCAT are legally enforceable and binding, and they must be complied with. If reasons are not provided at the time, a party can request a written statement of reasons within 28 days of being notified of the decision.

What are NCAT's opening hours and phone number?

NCAT registries are open 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday, except public holidays. General enquiries can be made on 1300 006 228; staff can provide procedural information but not legal advice.