From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) was formed by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 1998 in the state of Victoria, Australia. As part of the Victorian Justice system the Tribunal sits 'below' the Magistrates Court in the court hierarchy.However the Tribunal itself is not a Court as it is a creature of statute and has no inherent jurisdiction or powers.he Tribunal began operating on 1 July 1998, amalgamating 15 smaller boards and tribunals, creating a 'one-stop-shop' for handling a broad range of disputes. When looking at the sheer number of cases, the VCAT deals with the overwhelming majority of legal proceedings in this State [1] .