The Institute of Tribunal Practice was established in 1978 by the then National Tribunal of Appeal for Australia and New Zealand. In 2011, when that Tribunal was suppressed, the Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand assumed responsibility for the Institute.
The Institute educates people about the ministry of the Catholic Church, primarily as it pertains to the annulment and dissolution of marriage and prepares people to participate in the tribunal ministry in regard to the judicial process for the nullity of marriage.
The Institute Committee, appointed by the Executive Committee of the Canon Law Society, has responsibility for the curriculum, structure, lecturers and assessment criteria of the Institute.
The Institute is held in Sydney over a two year period with a live-in session comprising two weeks each year.
The Institute of Tribunal Practice is affiliated with the Catholic Institute of Sydney, the ecclesiastical Faculty of Theology, and a Certificate of Achievement of the Institute of Tribunal Practice is granted jointly by the Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Catholic Institute of Sydney.