ACAT Civil Dispute Response — How to Respond to a Claim in the ACT

A sealed envelope from the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal is not junk mail you can set aside. Once you receive an ACAT civil dispute application, a 21-calendar-day countdown starts. If no response is filed and you also fail to attend the Directions Hearing, ACAT may make binding orders on the applicant's uncontradicted evidence for the claim amount, interest, and filing fees.

What the ACAT Service Packet Contains

When you are named as a respondent, the registry posts you a packet that includes the civil dispute application (identifying the applicant, the file reference in XD Year/Number format, and the orders sought), a Notice of Listing for the initial Directions Hearing, the Response Form (Approved Form AF2021-29), and a covering letter summarising your obligations.

Check the file reference number independently. Phone the ACAT Registry at (02) 6207 1740 or email [email protected] to confirm the case exists before doing anything else.

The 21-Day Response Deadline

Day one is the day after you receive the application — the date of service itself is excluded. Count 21 consecutive calendar days from there, including weekends and public holidays. If the 21st day lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or ACT public holiday, the deadline extends to 4:30 PM on the next business day.

During the annual summer registry shutdown (typically 24 December through early January), any deadline falling in that window shifts to the first business day after ACAT reopens.

Your Three Response Options on Form AF2021-29

The form asks you to choose one or a combination of three positions:

• Full admission — You accept the claim amount. You can propose a lump-sum payment or request an instalment plan specifying the amount, frequency, and start date.
• Partial admission — You admit part of the debt or liability and dispute the rest. State the exact dollar figure you accept and the factual grounds for contesting the balance.
• Total dispute — You deny all liability. Set out brief factual particulars: defective work, goods never delivered, contract terms not met. Detailed legal argument is not needed at this stage.

You can also file a counterclaim against the applicant in Section C of the same form if you have your own claim arising from the same transaction. A filing fee applies to the counterclaim.

How to Lodge Your Response

Three channels are available: in person at the ACAT Registry (Ground Floor, 15 London Circuit, Canberra) between 9:00 AM and 4:30 PM on business days; by post to ACAT, GPO Box 370, Canberra ACT 2601; or by email to [email protected] — but only if your documents total fewer than 40 pages, use no more than three attachments, and no unpaid fee is due.

Filing a standard response (no counterclaim) costs nothing. A counterclaim incurs a fee scaled to the amount claimed.

What Happens After You Lodge

The registry serves your response on the applicant and lists a Directions Hearing under Practice Note 2 of 2024. At that hearing, a Member or Registrar clarifies the issues, explores whether alternative dispute resolution could resolve things, and — if needed — sets an evidence timetable for a final hearing.

If you need help organising the deadline, form sections, evidence, and hearing preparation into a single step-by-step plan, the ACT ACAT Response Guide walks through the entire process from service to post-decision options.

See more Australian Capital Territory guides →