Mental Health Review Tribunal

The Mental Health Review Tribunal (Tribunal) is committed to providing fair hearings for all persons who are the subject of proceedings. All hearings are conducted in English.

If an interpreter is required for a patient/consumer, one will be arranged by the Tribunal. This service is free (that is, at Tribunal's cost).

Generally, the person’s Authorised Mental Health Service will inform the Tribunal if an interpreter is required. However, if you believe you need an interpreter for your hearing you can:

• let your treating team know
• let the Tribunal know – Contact Us.

A Tribunal panel may decide that an interpreter is required to assist them, even if the patient/consumer says that they do not require an interpreter.

All interpreters engaged by the Tribunal are accredited. Friends and family of the patient/consumer will not be used as interpreters during hearings.

Ideally interpreters will be face-to-face, however, where this is not possible, interpretation services will be arranged via video conferencing or telephone.

Interpreters play an important role in hearings. They owe a duty to the Tribunal to be accurate and impartial when performing their duties. This means that they must interpret what is said during a hearing exactly.

All interpreters engaged by the Tribunal are expected to have read and understood the Tribunal's Information Sheet for Interpreters before providing interpreting services for the Tribunal. A copy of the Information Sheet can be found below.

Hearing participants are entitled to provide feedback to the Tribunal on the standard of interpreting services provided and can do so by contacting the Tribunal – Contact Us.