Mental Health Tribunal

What Mental Health Tribunal does

The Mental Health Tribunal is a Victorian State Government statutory tribunal established under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022, headquartered at 50 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne. It conducts independent hearings to determine whether individuals placed on compulsory mental health treatment orders meet the statutory criteria for continued treatment, including the presence of mental illness, need for treatment to prevent serious deterioration or harm, likelihood of treatment under order, and absence of less restrictive alternatives. Hearings also cover electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) consent matters. Panels are three-member structures comprising a legal member, a psychiatrist or medical member, and a community member, with President Matthew Carroll leading the Tribunal.

Core operations are delivered through online hearings conducted via Microsoft Teams, with supplementary participation by telephone, in-person at health services, or via hybrid arrangements. Adjacent services include patient-facing forms and preparation resources, health-service-facing reporting and document submission portals, treatment order dispute pathways (including statements of reasons, re-hearings, and VCAT appeals), interpreter coordination through TIS National, multilingual information in 15 languages, and a Support Services Directory linking users to legal, advocacy, and wellbeing organisations. Recent programmatic additions include the three-year Cultural Safety Project with VALS and IMHA First Nations (2026-2028) and the Lived Experience Values Statement launched June 2026, with statutory jurisdiction expanding to forensic leave applications from 1 September 2026 under the Strategic Plan 2025-2028.

The Tribunal does not charge patients or health services; its operating model is funded through Victorian Government appropriations and operates as a free statutory function. There is no commercial revenue, no fee-for-service pricing, and no private ownership. Distribution is regional (Victoria only), and headcount sits in the 51-100 band. The entity is structurally insulated from competitive displacement by its exclusive statutory mandate, but is fully dependent on a single government counterparty for funding continuity.

Name

Mental Health Tribunal

Legal name

Mental Health Tribunal

Website

https://mht.vic.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Mental Health Tribunal is a Victorian State Government statutory tribunal that conducts independent hearings on compulsory mental health treatment orders and ECT consent matters, using three-member panels delivered primarily via Microsoft Teams, funded through government appropriations with services provided free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Tribunal Services

NAICS

Courts (922110), Courts (92211)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Problem-Solving Courts (Drug, Mental Health, Veterans, Family) (BPAIAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Court Services & Operations (Clerks, Records, Jury, Interpreters) (BPAIAFAH), Forensic & Correctional Behavioral Health Services (HLAFACAM)

Keywords

• Statutory tribunal services
• Compulsory treatment hearings
• Mental health review
• Treatment order adjudication
• Mental health advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Mental Health Tribunal is a Victorian statutory tribunal that conducts independent hearings to determine whether individuals should be subject to compulsory mental health treatment orders under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022. Hearings are conducted by three-member panels (legal, psychiatric/medical, and community) who review treating team reports and patient information to make binding decisions about treatment orders. Services are provided free of charge through online hearings via Microsoft Teams, in-person at health services, by telephone, or at the Melbourne office.

Product overview

Mental Health Tribunal is a Victorian government tribunal service that conducts hearings to determine whether individuals require compulsory mental health treatment. It operates as a unified service comprising the core Tribunal Hearing Service for treatment order decisions, supplemented by Patient Forms for submissions and requests, Health Services Resources for clinical staff, Hearing Preparation Resources for patients, Treatment Order Dispute Services for appeals and reviews, Publications and Reports for transparency, the Cultural Safety Project for Indigenous cultural responsiveness, the Lived Experience Values Statement for consumer involvement, Family and Carer Support services, and a Support Services Directory connecting users to legal, advocacy, and mental health support organizations. The Tribunal conducts hearings online via Microsoft Teams, in-person at health services, or by telephone.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tribunal Hearing Service A government tribunal service that conducts hearings to decide whether individuals require compulsory mental health treatment under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022. Hearings involve three Tribunal members (legal, psychiatric/medical, and community) reviewing treating team reports and patient information to make decisions about treatment orders. Delivered online via Microsoft Teams, in-person at health services, or by telephone.
• Patient Forms Service Forms for patients including Request a statement of reasons, Request another tribunal hearing, and What I want to tell the Tribunal forms. Enables patients to formally engage with tribunal processes.
• Health Services Resources Resources for health services including types of tribunal hearings, document uploading guides, access to documents, forms for health services, report writing training, rules and practice notes, and hybrid hearing request processes. Supports health service staff in complying with tribunal procedures.
• Hearing Preparation Resources Resources helping patients prepare for tribunal hearings including guidance on getting support, reading treating team reports, planning testimony, arranging interpreters, and submitting advance statements of preferences.
• Treatment Order Dispute Services Services for patients who disagree with treatment orders, including options to talk to treating teams, request statement of reasons, apply for VCAT review, appeal decisions, or request another tribunal hearing.
• Publications and Reports Mental Health Tribunal publishes guides, policies, procedures, statements of reasons, annual reports, quarterly reports, tribunal hearing experience survey reports, strategic plans, and reconciliation action plans.
• Family, Friends and Carers Support Information and support for family members, friends, and carers attending tribunal hearings, including guidance on nominated support persons, accessing documents, and providing information to the Tribunal.
• Support Services Directory Directory connecting patients to support services including legal advice (Mental Health Legal Rights Service, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service), Independent Mental Health Advocacy, Second Psychiatric Opinion Service, Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission, and Tandem for carers.
• Interpreter Services Free interpreter services for tribunal hearings, provided through the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) for patients who need language assistance. The Tribunal pays for interpreters at hearings. Information available in 15 languages on the website.
• ECT Consent Hearings Specialised tribunal hearings to determine consent for electroconvulsive treatment (ECT) under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVALS is a key partner in the Tribunal's three-year Cultural Safety Project to strengthen cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in hearings. VALS collaborates on implementing Recommendation 78 of the Yoorrook Justice Commission, including improving access to First Peoples-led support and designing a pilot specialized hearing approach for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIMHA First Nations team partners with the Tribunal on the Cultural Safety Project to provide culturally appropriate advocacy support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people at tribunal hearings. IMHA also provides general advocacy services for all tribunal participants.
• State Government of VictoriacoreOthersThe Mental Health Tribunal is a statutory body of the State Government of Victoria, Australia. The government provides funding and legislative oversight under the Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022.
• Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National)minorOthersTIS National provides interpreter services for tribunal participants who need language assistance. Patients can call the Tribunal with an interpreter by calling TIS National on 131 450. The Tribunal pays for interpreters at hearings.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal: New South Wales' statutory tribunal that reviews involuntary mental health treatment orders. Operates the same core function as the Mental Health Tribunal (Victoria) under analogous legislation, with similar panel structures and procedural safeguards, making it the most direct jurisdictional peer.

Broad incumbents

• Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT): Victoria's general administrative tribunal handling civil, commercial, and human rights matters including mental health review. Comparable as a state-level quasi-judicial body with overlapping appellate jurisdiction over Mental Health Tribunal decisions, making it both a peer and an oversight body.

Others

• Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service (VALS): Aboriginal community-controlled legal service partnering with the Tribunal on the Cultural Safety Project. Comparable as a co-delivery partner rather than competitor, providing culturally specific support at tribunal hearings.
• Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission (Victoria): Victorian statutory oversight body that monitors and reports on the mental health and wellbeing system. Comparable as a peer Victorian mental health statutory body linked from the Tribunal's website, with overlapping system-wide responsibilities.
• Mental Health Legal Rights Service: Victorian community legal service providing free legal advice and representation to people appearing before the Mental Health Tribunal. Operates as an adjacent ecosystem provider supporting the same patient population.
• Independent Mental Health Advocacy (IMHA): Victorian statutory advocacy service that supports patients appearing before the Mental Health Tribunal. Operates as an ecosystem partner rather than a direct competitor, co-delivering advocacy services and the Cultural Safety Project with the Tribunal.

Regional players

• Mental Health Tribunal (UK) / First-tier Tribunal (Health, Education and Social Care Chamber): United Kingdom's specialist tribunal that detains patients under the Mental Health Act and considers community treatment orders. Operates the closest international analogue to Victoria's Mental Health Tribunal in terms of mandate, structure, and patient population.
• Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal: Queensland's tribunal that reviews involuntary treatment orders and related forensic matters. Comparable as an Australian state-level mental health tribunal with a similar mandate, though operating under different legislation and in a different jurisdiction.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mentalhealthcc
• Facebookfacebook.com/mentalhealthcomplaintscommissioner
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mental-health-tribunal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mental Health Tribunal