Changes to VCAT fees in the Land and Environment Division

Significant changes are being made to the filing fees and daily hearing fees for planning cases at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT). We have considered these changes as they relate to the Land and Environment Division, but note fees in other lists are also changing.

The significant changes to the fees are being introduced by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Fees) Regulations 2026 (Regulations) which will come into operation on 27 June 2026.

As a consequence of the new Regulations, significant changes to filing and hearing fees will occur on 27 June 2026 and then be adjusted again for the new financial year to account for the change in the fee unit value. What this means in practice is that there are significantly varied fees for lodgement of applications prior to 27 June, fees for lodgement between 27 June and 1 July and fees for lodgement from 1 July onwards.

The major change we have observed is to the filing fees for Applicants who seek to file an application for review pursuant to sections 77, 79 and 80 of the Planning and Environment Act 1987 (Vic). We highlight that the new filing fees in the Major Cases List and Standard Cases List (based on the application being lodged by a company) are set to almost double, with an increase in some instances of 85 per cent from the current fees.

We have prepared the below table which sets out the current fees, fees as of 27 June and fees as of 1 July for ease of reference:

We also note that the update fees seek to:

• Include a fee for a compulsory conference payable by the Applicant for Review. The fees are proposed to be $1280.90 from 27 June and then $1316.00 from 1 July. It is not clear on the information available how this will be applied;

• For Major Cases hearings, daily hearing fees are set to increase from $4,051.20 to $4804.50 per day;

• For Standard Cases hearings, daily hearing fees are set to increase from $588.40 to $697.70 per day;

• The filing fee for an application by an objector under section 82 has gone down from $988.40 to $887.70.

• The filing fee to join a proceeding and file a statement of grounds has gone down from $23.50 to $20.70.

Importantly, we note that the new hearing fees apply for any proceedings heard after 27 June or 1 July.

If you require any guidance in relation to these fees or have queries regarding your VCAT matter generally, please do not hesitate to contact our office.