NSW NCAT Wollongong (CCD) List Today

The NCAT Wollongong Consumer and Commercial Division (CCD) is the Illawarra hearing point for the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, the state body that resolves the everyday disputes most people are far more likely to face than a criminal charge. If you are a tenant, a landlord, a homeowner mid-renovation, a small trader or a consumer chasing a refund, this is usually where your matter is listed. The Wollongong Registry sits at Level 3, 43 Burelli Street, Wollongong NSW 2500, within walking distance of Wollongong railway station, and postal lodgements go to PO Box 319, Wollongong NSW 2520 (DX 27842 Wollongong). The registry opens 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday and closes on NSW public holidays.

This page explains how the Wollongong CCD list works, what the tribunal can and cannot decide, the fees that apply, the current caseload figures, and the practical steps to find your matter on the daily hearing list. Every figure below is drawn from published NCAT sources, including the NCAT Annual Report 2024-2025 and the official fees schedule effective 1 July 2025.

What the Consumer and Commercial Division Actually Decides

The Consumer and Commercial Division is by a wide margin the busiest arm of NCAT. It handles residential tenancy disputes, social housing matters, home building claims, consumer claims about goods and services, motor vehicle disputes, retail lease disagreements, strata and community scheme issues, agent commission questions and more. Historically the Division has carried the overwhelming majority of the tribunal's total workload: in an earlier reporting year NCAT recorded 58,360 CCD applications out of 71,449 lodged tribunal-wide, roughly 81.7 per cent of everything filed, and 44,893 of those CCD applications related to residential tenancy alone.

That concentration matters for anyone attending Wollongong. It means the list you appear on is likely to be dominated by tenancy and consumer matters, that the tribunal member hearing your case deals with these disputes daily, and that the process is deliberately built to be accessible to people without lawyers. The list below sets out the core case types the Wollongong CCD can hear:

• Residential tenancy and social housing: bond disputes, rental arrears, repairs, termination and possession orders under the Residential Tenancies Act 2010.
• Home building disputes: defective or incomplete work, and claims between homeowners and builders or tradespeople.
• Consumer claims: disputes about goods and services up to the value of $100,000 under the Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 1987.
• Motor vehicle disputes: faulty repairs and defective vehicles.
• Retail leases, strata and community schemes: commercial tenancy disagreements and disputes between owners in strata buildings.
• Agent commissions, agricultural tenancy, dividing fences and residential communities: handled through the Commercial and General lists.

Monetary Limits You Should Know Before Lodging

Jurisdictional limits decide whether NCAT is the right forum at all. Consumer claims for goods and services can be heard up to $100,000. If your claim sits above the ceiling for a particular case type, a court rather than the tribunal may be the correct venue, so it is worth confirming the limit for your specific dispute before you lodge. When parties to a matter live in different Australian states, a federal jurisdiction issue can arise, and that can affect whether NCAT is able to decide the case, so check this early to avoid a wasted listing.

NCAT Wollongong CCD by the Numbers

Understanding the scale of the tribunal helps set realistic expectations. Across the whole of NSW in 2024-25, NCAT received 73,724 applications, a 3.5 per cent increase on the previous year, and finalised 70,693 matters, achieving a clearance ratio of 95.9 per cent. The tribunal held 124,736 hearings and other listing events across 45 locations in the state, and 83.3 per cent of Consumer and Commercial Division applications were lodged online rather than on paper.

These figures also show how digital the process has become. The shift to online lodgement has been steady: CCD online lodgement sat at about 84.4 per cent in 2021-22, 85.4 per cent in 2022-23, and 82.5 per cent in 2023-24 before settling at 83.3 per cent in 2024-25. For a Wollongong applicant, the practical takeaway is that the fastest route to a listing is almost always the NCAT online portal, with the Burelli Street registry available for those who cannot lodge digitally.

The table below summarises the tribunal-wide workload over recent reporting years so you can see the trend for yourself:

• 2021-22: 70,448 applications lodged, 71,192 matters finalised, 101.1 per cent clearance ratio.
• 2022-23: 76,437 applications lodged, 76,447 matters finalised, 100 per cent clearance ratio.
• 2023-24: 71,223 applications lodged, 70,666 matters finalised, 99.2 per cent clearance ratio.
• 2024-25: 73,724 applications lodged, 70,693 matters finalised, 95.9 per cent clearance ratio.

Service quality is measured too. In 2024-25 NCAT received 454 complaints, equal to a complaint in just 0.62 per cent of all matters lodged, which gives a sense of how routinely the tribunal processes cases without formal grievance.

How Hearings Are Listed at Wollongong

Consumer and Commercial Division matters are generally listed at the venue closest to the place of the contract or the dispute. Tenancy matters are heard near the rental premises, and home building matters near the property at the centre of the disagreement. That is why an Illawarra tenancy or building dispute typically lands on the Wollongong list rather than in Sydney. If you need your matter moved, you can apply for a change of hearing venue, though a change is usually only granted where the other party agrees or where the tribunal is persuaded there is good reason.

Tenancy and social housing cases are usually first listed for conciliation and hearing together. Conciliation is an informal, confidential discussion where a tribunal officer helps the parties try to reach agreement. If agreement is not reached, the matter proceeds to a hearing, sometimes on the same day and sometimes on a later date. Hearings are open to the public, so you are welcome to arrive early and watch other matters to get a feel for the process before yours is called.

Finding Your Matter on the Daily Court List

The NCAT daily hearing list is published for each venue and shows the matters set down for that day. To locate your case at Wollongong, check the published list for the Wollongong Registry, look for your file number and the assigned hearing room, and arrive with enough time to clear the building and settle before your listing time. Because the tribunal runs a high-volume list, being present when your matter is called is important; matters can be dismissed or decided in your absence if you do not attend.

Fees at the NCAT Wollongong CCD

NCAT fees are prescribed under the Civil and Administrative Tribunal Regulation 2022 and are adjusted each year in line with the Consumer Price Index. As at 1 July 2025, the standard application fees in the Consumer and Commercial Division are:

• Residential proceedings (tenancy, social housing, residential communities): $62.00 standard, $124.00 corporation, $16.00 concession.
• General consumer or commercial claims not more than $10,000 (or no amount): $62.00 standard, $124.00 corporation, $16.00 concession.
• Claims over $10,000 up to $30,000: $128.00 standard, $256.00 corporation, $32.00 concession.
• Claims more than $30,000: $330.00 standard, $660.00 corporation, $83.00 concession.
• Retail leases: $127.00 standard, $254.00 corporation, $32.00 concession.
• Strata and community schemes (general application): $128.00 standard, $256.00 corporation, $32.00 concession.

The concession rate is set at 25 per cent of the full fee and applies to eligible pensioners, holders of a grant of legal aid, or people receiving assistance from a community legal centre. Fee waivers are available for applicants who can demonstrate financial hardship, and if you succeed you can ask the tribunal to order the other party to reimburse your application fee. Always confirm the current amount on the NCAT fees schedule before you pay, because the figures rise with CPI each July.

How to Apply and Prepare

Most Consumer and Commercial Division applications can be lodged through NCAT Online Services, and the online form typically takes around 30 minutes to complete. You will need 100 points of identification to register on the NSW Online Registry. If online lodgement does not suit you, PDF application forms for tenancy, home building, motor vehicles, consumer claims, retail leases and residential communities can be downloaded and lodged with the Wollongong Registry by post or in person.

Preparation is what wins cases at this level. Because most parties represent themselves, the tribunal member decides on the evidence in front of them, so bring everything relevant and organised:

• Your residential tenancy agreement and any condition reports, for tenancy matters.
• Written proof of the sale or service, original purchase agreements, quotes and invoices.
• Receipts, reports, correspondence and any demands for payment.
• Photographs, where they help establish the condition of goods, premises or building work.
• A short, clear summary of the orders you want the tribunal to make.

NCAT provides interpreters free of charge on request, and can arrange accessibility support such as a hearing loop or wheelchair access if you contact the registry early. Tribunal staff can give procedural information but not legal advice, so if your matter is complex it is worth seeking help from a tenants' advice service, a community legal centre or a solicitor before the hearing day.

Lodging Documents at the Wollongong Registry

There are three ways to lodge documents with NCAT Wollongong: by post to PO Box 319, Wollongong NSW 2520; by hand at the front desk or the lodgement box; or electronically, but only where you have leave from the tribunal to do so. A practical tip is to ask for leave to file electronically during your directions hearing, which can save trips to Burelli Street for later documents in the same matter.

Wollongong CCD in the Wider NSW Tribunal Network

The Wollongong Registry is one of a small number of Consumer and Commercial Division registry offices operating alongside the Sydney head office and other regional points. If your dispute has a connection to another part of the state, or you simply want to compare how the list runs elsewhere, the neighbouring registries handle the same case types under the same legislation. You can review the parent list at the NCAT Sydney CCD registry, or check the regional lists for NCAT Newcastle and NCAT Liverpool, which draw on comparable tenancy and consumer caseloads.

It also helps to understand where NCAT sits relative to the courts. The tribunal handles civil and administrative disputes, while criminal and larger civil matters in the region are dealt with by the courts. If your issue is a court matter rather than a tribunal one, you can view the daily Wollongong Local Court list to check listings for that jurisdiction instead.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the NCAT Wollongong registry located?

The Wollongong Registry is at Level 3, 43 Burelli Street, Wollongong NSW 2500, a short walk from Wollongong station. Postal lodgements go to PO Box 319, Wollongong NSW 2520 (DX 27842 Wollongong). The registry is open 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday, excluding NSW public holidays.

What phone number do I call for NCAT Wollongong?

All NCAT Consumer and Commercial Division registries, including Wollongong, are reached on 1300 006 228. Press 1 for the Consumer and Commercial Division and follow the prompts. From overseas, call +61 2 9307 6498 during office hours.

How much does it cost to lodge a tenancy matter at Wollongong?

As at 1 July 2025, a residential proceedings application costs $62.00 for an individual, $124.00 for a corporation, and $16.00 at the concession rate. Fee waivers are available for financial hardship, and the fee is adjusted for CPI each July.

How long does an NCAT matter take?

Timeframes vary by case type, but many Consumer and Commercial matters move from lodgement to a first listing within weeks, and tenancy cases are often first listed for conciliation and hearing together. NCAT finalised 70,693 matters in 2024-25 with a clearance ratio of 95.9 per cent, which reflects a system designed to resolve disputes quickly.

Do I need a lawyer at NCAT Wollongong?

No. The Consumer and Commercial Division is built for self-represented parties, and most people present their own case. Representation is subject to the tribunal's rules, and staff can explain procedure though not give legal advice. For complex matters, free or low-cost help is available from community legal centres and tenant advocacy services.

Can I have my Wollongong hearing moved to another venue?

You can apply for a change of hearing venue, but it is generally granted only where the other party agrees or you can show good reason. Consumer and Commercial matters are otherwise listed at the venue closest to the property or contract at the centre of the dispute.

Are NCAT Wollongong hearings open to the public?

Yes, Consumer and Commercial Division hearings are generally open to the public. You can attend and observe other matters in progress before your own is called, which is a useful way to understand how the tribunal member runs the list.