ACAT Response Form AF2021-29 — How to Fill In Each Section

Approved Form AF2021-29 is the response form for an ACAT civil dispute. It looks straightforward — five sections plus an optional counterclaim — but mistakes in how you complete it can limit your options at the Directions Hearing and beyond.

Section 1: Respondent Details

Enter your full legal name (not a trading name alone), physical address, phone number, and email address for ongoing electronic service. If you are an incorporated business, include the ABN or ACN. The address you give here becomes your address for service — every future tribunal communication goes there.

Section 2: Authorised Representative

Leave this blank if you are representing yourself. If someone else will act on your behalf, enter their details. A lay representative for an individual needs an Authority to Act for an Individual (708KB PDF from the ACAT website). A corporation's representative needs an Authority to Act for a Corporation (183KB PDF).

Attach the authority form required for your representative type when you lodge the response.

Section 3: Your Response to the Claim

This is the section that defines your legal position. You must select one or a combination of three options:

Full admission. You accept the entire amount claimed. You can pay immediately or propose an instalment plan: state the payment amount, frequency (weekly, fortnightly, or monthly), and the date you want to start. If the applicant agrees, the tribunal issues consent orders. If they reject your proposal, a Member assesses your financial capacity at the Directions Hearing.

Partial admission. You accept liability for a specific dollar figure but contest the rest. State exactly how much you admit, whether you have already paid any of it directly to the applicant, and the factual grounds for disputing the balance.

Total dispute. You deny all liability. Set out brief factual reasons — the work was defective, the goods were never delivered, the contract terms were met on your side. You do not need a full legal argument at this point; concise factual particulars are enough.

Section 4: Unavailability

List any dates across the next three months when you cannot attend a hearing. The registry uses this to schedule your Directions Hearing and any subsequent listing.

Section 5: Signature

Every named respondent (or their authorised legal representative) must sign and date the form.

Section C: Counterclaim (Optional)

If you have your own claim against the applicant from the same transaction, complete Section C with the amount, the factual basis, and the orders you want. A filing fee applies to the counterclaim, scaled to its value.

Common Mistakes

• Leaving Section 3 vague. "I disagree" without factual particulars gives the tribunal nothing to work with.
• Forgetting the authority form when a representative is listed in Section 2.
• Filing by email when a counterclaim fee is due — the registry rejects email submissions requiring payment.

The ACT ACAT Response Guide includes a section-by-section walkthrough with worked examples for each response option.

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