Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal

What Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal does

The Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT) is an independent statutory decision-making body established under the Mental Health Act 2000 and continued under the Mental Health Act 2016, headquartered at Level 16, 53 Albert Street, Brisbane. It is not part of Queensland Health, any treating team, or any health service; its sole function is to review the involuntary status of persons with mental illness and/or intellectual disability and to make quasi-judicial determinations on Treatment Authorities, Forensic Orders, Treatment Support Orders, Examination Authorities, Electroconvulsive Therapy approvals, and fitness-for-trial matters. Hearings are conducted by panels comprising credentialed members — psychiatrists holding FRANZCP fellowship, legal practitioners admitted to the Supreme and High Courts of Australia, and community members with senior social work, policing, or human services backgrounds. The current President is Annette McMullan (appointed 30 June 2018 for a five-year term), supported by Deputy President Monique Ulrick-Hunter (appointed early 2023).

The Tribunal's product surface comprises four operational service lines: core hearing services, free legal representation arranged through a service agreement with Legal Aid Queensland, free accredited interpreter services, and administrative outputs including audio recordings and written Statements of Reasons. Underlying infrastructure is deliberately non-proprietary: the Tribunal relies on Queensland Health's QHEPS intranet and IT support when on-site, and on Collaboration Meeting Room (CMR) technology for remote participation in Examination Authorities and other hearings. Employee Assistance Services are delivered under contract by TELUS Health, with a dedicated support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

The MHRT operates as a government tribunal rather than a commercial enterprise. There is no pricing model or fee-for-service revenue; all services to patients are provided at no cost, with interpreter and appointed legal representation funded by the Tribunal and paid directly to providers. Revenue is sourced exclusively from Queensland Government appropriation pursuant to Chapter 16 of the Mental Health Act 2016, and is not publicly disclosed. Geographic scope is limited to Queensland, with service delivery channelled through the Brisbane headquarters and statewide telehealth-enabled remote hearings. Customer segments served include involuntary treatment subjects, legal representatives, Authorised Mental Health Services providing clinical witnesses, and families/support persons — none of whom are "customers" in a commercial sense.

Name

Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal

Legal name

The State of Queensland (Mental Health Review Tribunal)

Website

https://mhrt.qld.gov.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal is an independent statutory body under Queensland's Mental Health Act 2016 that conducts hearings reviewing the involuntary treatment status of persons with mental illness or intellectual disability. It serves patients, clinicians, legal representatives, and families across Queensland free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health Tribunal Services

NAICS

Courts (92211), Courts (922110)

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

• Mental health review
• Tribunal hearing services
• Involuntary treatment review
• Forensic mental health
• Statutory tribunal services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brisbane

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Funded by the Queensland Government as a statutory body under the Mental Health Act 2016. Services are provided at no cost to patients, including free legal representation arrangements through Legal Aid Queensland.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal is an independent decision-making body that conducts quasi-judicial hearings to review the involuntary status of persons with mental illness and/or intellectual disability under the Mental Health Act 2016. It decides on Treatment Authorities, Forensic Orders, Treatment Support Orders, Examination Authorities, Electroconvulsive Therapy approvals, fitness-for-trial matters, and related appeals. The Tribunal coordinates free legal representation through Legal Aid Queensland and free interpreter services for hearings.

Product overview

The Mental Health Review Tribunal is an independent decision-making body under the Mental Health Act 2016 that operates as a quasi-judicial tribunal rather than a technology product company. Its primary function is to conduct hearings and review the involuntary status of persons with mental illness and/or intellectual disability. The Tribunal offers hearing services for various authorities and orders (Treatment Authority, Forensic Order, Treatment Support Order, Examination Authority, Fitness-for-Trial), supported by interpreter services, legal representation coordination through Legal Aid Queensland, and administrative services for records and statements of reasons.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mental Health Review Tribunal Hearing Services Independent quasi-judicial hearing services reviewing the involuntary status of persons with mental illness and/or intellectual disability under the Mental Health Act 2016, including decisions on Treatment Authorities, Forensic Orders, Treatment Support Orders, Examination Authorities, Electroconvulsive Therapy approvals, and fitness-for-trial assessments.
• Legal Representation Services Free legal representation arranged through a service agreement with Legal Aid Queensland for persons appearing before the Tribunal, including minors, fitness-for-trial hearings, ECT approval hearings, and cases where the Attorney-General attends.
• Interpreter Services Free accredited interpreter arrangement for consumers requiring language assistance during Tribunal hearings, delivered via face-to-face, video conferencing, or telephone modalities.
• Records and Statements of Reasons Administrative provision of hearing records, audio recordings, and written statements of reasons for Tribunal decisions upon request by entitled parties under the Mental Health Act 2016.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Legal Aid Queensland (LAQ)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Tribunal has a service agreement with Legal Aid Queensland for the provision of legal services for persons appearing before the Tribunal. Where the Tribunal is required to appoint a lawyer for a person, it makes a referral to LAQ. LAQ allocates the matter to a lawyer who contacts the person directly. The Tribunal pays for these services directly to LAQ.
• Queensland HealthcoreTechnology or IntegrationQueensland Health provides information technology support to the Tribunal, including provision of email platforms and servers. The Tribunal operates on the Queensland Health network (QHEPS intranet) when on-site. IT support is accessed through Queensland Health IT services.
• Department of Justice and Attorney-GeneralcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Department of Justice and Attorney-General may be disclosed personal information as part of Tribunal proceedings. The Attorney-General or their representative may attend certain hearings (Forensic Order hearings where the person is under 18 or when ordered by the Mental Health Court).
• Mental Health CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mental Health Court is a superior court of record that makes decisions about Forensic Orders, Treatment Support Orders, and fitness for trial matters. Many decisions of the Tribunal may be subject of appeal to the Mental Health Court. Appeals are heard de novo.
• TELUS HealthminorOthersTELUS Health provides the Employee Assistance Services (EAS) program for MHRT Members. MHRT Members are entitled to access counselling and support services through this provider. Dedicated support line available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander staff.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Others

• Legal Aid Queensland: Strategic ecosystem partner rather than competitor — operates the service agreement under which MHRT-appointed lawyers are provided to patients, making its resourcing a direct input into Tribunal hearing quality.
• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) - Health Professional Review Boards: Adjacent quasi-judicial peer in the broader health/mental-health regulatory ecosystem; not a direct competitor but shares member-appointment frameworks, statutory independence principles, and appellate structures relevant to benchmarking Tribunal governance.

Direct peers

• Tasmania Mental Health Tribunal: Direct jurisdictional peer — Tasmania's independent review body for involuntary treatment orders under the Mental Health Act 2013 (Tas), structurally and functionally equivalent to the Queensland MHRT.
• Victorian Mental Health and Wellbeing Tribunal: Direct jurisdictional peer — recently established under Victoria's Mental Health and Wellbeing Act 2022 to conduct compulsory treatment and forensic review hearings, functionally equivalent to the Queensland Tribunal's review of Treatment Authorities, Forensic Orders and fitness-for-trial matters.
• Queensland Mental Health Court: Appellate-tier direct peer — superior court of record that hears de novo appeals of MHRT decisions on Forensic Orders, Treatment Support Orders and fitness-for-trial matters, shaping the jurisprudence the Tribunal must apply.
• Mental Health Tribunal (South Australia): Direct jurisdictional peer — South Australian quasi-judicial body reviewing detention, treatment and community treatment orders under the Mental Health Act 2009 (SA), with comparable President-led governance and medical/legal/community panel structure.
• Mental Health Tribunal (Western Australia): Direct jurisdictional peer — performs involuntary treatment order reviews under the Mental Health Act 2014 (WA), offering a near-identical service model (Treatment Orders, Forensic Orders, ECT approvals) across another Australian state jurisdiction.
• NSW Mental Health Review Tribunal: Direct jurisdictional peer — independent statutory tribunal reviewing involuntary mental health treatment orders in New South Wales under the Mental Health Act 2007 (NSW). Operates with substantially the same mandate (Treatment/Community Treatment Orders, forensic determinations) and member-composition model as the Queensland MHRT.

Broad incumbents

• Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT): Incumbent quasi-judicial peer operating within the same Queensland justice landscape; while QCAT covers a much broader civil/administrative jurisdiction, it shares back-office infrastructure, registry practices, and member-appointment governance norms with the MHRT.
• ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) — Mental Health Division: Adjacent peer — operates the mental health review function for the ACT within a broader administrative-tribunal structure, sharing comparative benchmarking value given similar small-population jurisdiction dynamics.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/queensland-mental-health-review-tribunal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Queensland Mental Health Review Tribunal