Monash makes the Grand Final of the Inaugural Administrative Review Tribunal Moot Competition
L to R: Monash Grand Finalist team: Wade Gittleson, Chief Moot Coach William Lye OAM KC, Shailee Carmeli and Sara Scully
Four teams from Monash Law recently competed in the inaugural Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) Moot Competition. The competition reemerged from its year-long hiatus following the overhaul of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT), inviting law students from across the country to engage with the work of the tribunal and its various jurisdictional areas.
Find out more about mooting with Monash Law
Our team – Sara Scully, Wade Gittleson and Shailee Carmeli – proudly reached the Grand Final, which took place at the Tribunal’s Melbourne Registry on the 3rd of October before Justice Kyrou (President), Deputy President Kruna Dordevic (Jurisdictional Area Leader, Social Security and NDIS Jurisdictional Areas) and Senior Member Tamara Hamilton-Noy.
In the preliminary rounds and the semi-final, we competed against teams from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), the University of Sydney and the University of Tasmania. We fought a hard fight against the University of Melbourne in the Grand-Final but ultimately missed out on the “hat-trick”.
L to R: Shailee Carmeli, Sara Scully and Wade Gittleson at the ART Melbourne Registry
A Multi-Faceted Learning Experience
Shortly after we accepted the offer to join this distinguished cohort, we found out that we had been allocated to this prestigious moot on the 17th of July. We were advised by Adjunct Professor William Lye OAM KC that this competition is the closest students can get to running a case in a real court or tribunal setting - which filled us with equal parts excitement and trepidation for what was to come.
Since the ART does not have any inherent powers, students must navigate a patchwork of more than 400 pieces of legislation conferring jurisdiction on the Tribunal. As a result, each round was entirely different.
The competition spanned several jurisdictional areas - from corporations and migration to complex tax and child support disputes - every round required a shift in mindset and a quick command of new legislation and case law. We were also challenged to approach disputes from various perspectives: in the first round, we represented the applicant in a corporations law matter involving allegations of insolvent trading, misappropriation of company funds and breach of directors’ duties; meanwhile, in the Semi-Final, we found ourselves appearing on behalf of the Australian Taxation Office (ATO), grappling with a complex tax dispute involving issues of thin capitalisation, profit shifting and the general anti-avoidance provisions.
The ever-changing nature of the moot kept us constantly on our toes. It reminded us of what our coach, William, often emphasised throughout the semester: while subject matter can be learned, advocacy — the art of persuasion — is what ultimately sets an advocate apart in the courtroom.
Find out more about mooting with Monash Law
Our first submissions were due on the 15th of August, and our final moot - the Grand Final - took place on the 3rd of October. The competition tested not only our oral advocacy and agility but also our endurance, as we worked to maintain a high standard across several weeks of intense preparation.
L to R: Senior Member Tamara Hamilton-Noy, Sara Scully, Shailee Carmeli, Wade Gittleson, Justice Kyrou, the winning team from the University of Melbourne and Deputy President Kruna Dordevic at the ART Melbourne Registry for the Grand Final.
From Preparation to the Grand Final
Our preparation was guided by William Lye OAM KC, whose mentorship was instrumental in our success from start to finish. Whether giving us the floor to practice in front of our peers or offering detailed individual feedback on asynchronous video submissions outside of class, William’s emphasis on structure, clarity and persuasion shaped every stage of our advocacy.
In the lead up to each of the rounds, we worked closely to refine our written submissions and practice our arguments, spending countless hours on calls, poring over legislation, and playing devil’s advocate so we could identify any holes in our reasoning. While advocacy is often seen as an individual pursuit, this experience reminded us that it thrives on collaboration, trust and collective preparation - much like in practice, where an entire team lays the groundwork for counsel in the lead-up to the big day.
In addition to personally offering his unwavering support, William got us in touch with LAW4805 - Mooting and advocacy competition alumni - Pimal Senanayaka (National Champion of the AAT Moot Competition 2023 and now Associate at the Federal Court of Australia) and William Liu (now a Barrister at the Victorian Bar). It is no coincidence that the alumni of this class are so accomplished! We vividly recall practicing with William barely an hour or so out from the second round of the competition - feeling very much like barristers picking up a matter on the fly.
Gratitude and Growth
We owe immense thanks to chief moot coach William Lye OAM KC for his generosity, mentorship, and belief in us. His commitment to cultivating the next generation of advocates extended beyond technical training — he instilled in us a respect for the discipline and the preparation that true advocacy requires.
Competing against 16 teams from universities across Australia, advancing to the Grand Final was both humbling and exhilarating. We left the competition deeply proud of how far we had come as a team. To students contemplating whether to put themselves forward for the LAW4805 cohort: do it. Many of us had doubts going in - I myself had not mooted since first year - but those reservations quickly gave way to growth. You will learn to think differently, argue persuasively and bring the law to life. It is an experience that will challenge you, transform you and, speaking personally, it reminded me why I chose to study law in the first place!