Education in alternative dispute resolution

Opportunities for education and training about dispute resolution in Australia

On this page you will find listings by State and Territory of the various organisations and institutions and their details, so you can contact them directly. In each area, full qualifications (e.g. university certificates and degrees) precede short courses.

We wish to acknowledge SADRA, VADR and ADRA, publishers of Mediation News, from which some of the following information has been sourced.

We also refer you to the work being carried out by  the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council (NADRAC) into The Development of Standards for ADR in Australia.

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LEADR (see under NSW below)

The Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia (see under Victoria below)

Mediation training tapes by John Haynes

Transforming Relationships - multimedia training for restorative justice: videos and a manual from Connor Development Services in Canada.

Southern Cross University

• Bachelor of Social Science with Counselling and Mediation Studies Major
• Bachelor of Legal Studies

University Of Technology Sydney
Faculty of Law, Post Graduate Studies

• Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution
• Master of Dispute Resolution

Contact: marilyn.scott@uts.edu.au

Macquarie University
Graduate School of Management

• Post Graduate Diploma in Conflict Management
• Macquarie University School of Law also offers various courses

UnitingCare Unifam Counselling & Mediation

Level 6, 146 Marsden St, Parramatta NSW 2150
Telephone (02) 8830 0777
Fax (02) 9891 5675
Contact Lauren Hodson – (02) 8830 0755 – lhodson@unifamcounselling.org

For those who want a concise introduction to Family Dispute Resolution (FDR), including how to plan and conduct mediation and the skills required, Unifam offers the Framework for Mediation course. This can be completed over 5 days of training.

Topics include:
- Theories of Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Framework for Mediation 1 & 2
- Specialist Communication Skills
- Understanding Legislation
- how to access legislation relevant to the mediation context.

This course may help participants meet some of the requirements of Regulation 83 of the Family Law Regulations 1984

Charles Sturt University
Faculty of Commerce, Postgraduate programs.

• Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution (by distance education)

LEADR, National Dispute Centre
Level 9, 15-17 Young Street Sydney, NSW 2000
DX 1067 Sydney
Telephone (02) 02 9251 3366
Freecall 1800 651 650
Fax (02) 9251 3733

• Mediation Workshops, 4 day course, teaches mediation skills and philosophy. Issues and Techniques in Family Mediation and Interpersonal Disputes;
• Advanced mediation workshops,
• 3 hour mediation workshops re micro skills updates.
• 1 day workshops about Personality, mediation and mediators.
• Lawyers in Mediation, workshops designed to provide lawyers with the essentials of mediation.
• Workshops about Issues and Techniques in Family Mediation and interpersonal Disputes.
• Workshops about Complaints Management.
• LEADR Refresher Courses.
• Accreditation Assessment days.

Mediate Today
Contact Lorraine Djurican
Telephone (02) 9223 2255
Fax (02) 9223 6058

Relationships Australia
5 Sera Street, Lane Cove, NSW 2066,
Telephone (02) 9418 8800
Fax (02) 9418 8726
Contact Louise Rosemann - telephone (02) 9327 1222

• 96 hour course in Mediation (VTAB Accredited): A comprehensive accredited training program providing experiential training in a variety of mediation contexts. 16 weeks, at Edgecliff, Sydney.
• 6 day Mediation Training: An Introductory Mediation Skills Course. Sydney or Newcastle.
• Family Mediation Practice: A one day workshop for trained mediators. Sydney

The Accord Group
Level 2, 370 Pitt Street, Sydney
Telephone (02) 9264 9506
Fax (02) 9264 8268

Commercial Mediation Training, 4 day course. Also runs in-house courses in conflict resolution and negotiation skills.

Australian Commercial Disputes Centre
Level 6, 50 Park Street, Sydney, NSW
Contact Steve Gibbeson
Telephone (02) 9267 1000
Fax (02) 9267 3125

Courses

• Conflict and Dispute Management Systems, 1 day course ($550).
• Stage 1 Certificate: Conflict Resolution/Dispute Avoidance, 2 day course ($1100).
• Stage 2 Accreditation: Mediation/Conciliation - Skills, Techniques and Practice, 3e day course ($1650) and optional extra accreditation day ($550).
• Stage 3 Accreditation: Mediation/Conciliation - Advanced Experiences and Review, 3 day course ($1650) and optional extra accreditation day ($550).
• Brochure on courses for early 2007 (PDF, 1 page)

Conflict Resolution Network
PO Box 671, Dee Why NSW 2099
Contact Christine James/Jo Buckley/Colin Isaac
Telephone (02) 9972 3955
Fax (02) 9972 9620
Email cmme@bigpond.com

Mediation Skills Training, 4 day course. In-house training tailored for your organisation. 

Bond University
School of Law, Centre for Dispute Resolution.

• Master of Laws (Dispute Resolution)
• Post-Graduate Diploma in Dispute Resolution
• Undergraduate subjects in Dispute Resolution: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Negotiation and Mediation.
• Short courses about mediation, negotiation and arbitration

Contact Jane Hobler / Cheryl Hensel at DRC@bond.edu.au.

University of Southern Queensland
Department of Law, Faculty of Commerc

• Master of Commercial Law (distance education) includes a subject 52210  Dispute Resolution

Contact: Dr W K Timmins: ktimmins@usq.edu.au

University of Queensland
Law School

• A five day intensive highly interactive and skills focussed mediation course with written assessment and mediation simulation. Participants who successfully complete the course and who have been legal practitioners for at least five years (and hold current membership of the Queensland Law Society may apply to the Law Society to become a Law Society Approved Mediator

Contact: Greg Rooney: g.rooney@mailbox.uq.edu.au

Alternative Dispute Resolution Branch, Department of Justice
GPO Box 149, Brisbane, QLD, 4001
Telephone (07) 3239 6277
Fax (07) 3239 6284

Mediation Skills Course, 5 day introductory course for people wishing to gain a basic understanding of mediation process and essential skills

Relationships Australia
PO Box 595, Spring Hill, QLD, 4004
Contact Mike Brandon
Telephone (07) 3831 2005
Fax (07) 3839 4194

Advanced Family Mediation, 28 hour course

University of Adelaide

• Professional Certificate in Arbitration

University of South Australia
Centre for Peace, Conflict & Mediation
St. Bernards Road, Magill, 5072
Contact Associate Professor Dale Bagshaw
Telephone (08) 8302 4375
Fax (08) 83024377
Email dale.bagshaw@unisa.edu.au
Website Centre for Peace, Conflict & Mediation

Centre for Peace, Conflict & Mediation, in the Faculty of Education, Arts, and Social Sciences:

• Graduate Certificate in Mediation (Family)
• Graduate Diploma in Conflict Management
• Master of Conflict Management 
• Training workshops and consultancies for organisations, tailored to need, 2 hours to 5 days.

La Trobe University
School of Law and Legal Studies

• Graduate Diploma in Family Law Mediation
• Graduate Diploma in Conflict Resolution
• Graduate Certificate in Conflict Resolution

Contact : law&legal@latrobe.edu.au

Barwon Parent and Youth Mediation Service
Geelong Victoria
Contact Steven Smith, Director
Telephone (03) 5223 2966
Fax (03) 5229 0102
Email byas@pipeline.com.au.

Professional Mediation Training, 3 day course — Mediation available for parent/adolescent at no cost. Peer Mediation available to schools

Family Mediation Centre
Level 4, 1001 Nepean Highway, PO Box 2131,
Moorabbin, Victoria, 2131
Contact Marie Garric
Telephone (03) 9555 9300
Fax (03) 9555 1765
Email family@mediation.com.au
Website www.mediation.com.au

• Family Mediation Training Courses Level 1 and Level 2. 
• Effective Grievance Management Training, 3 day course.

The Institute of Arbitrators and Mediators Australia
Head Office: Level 1, 450 Little Bourke Street, Melbourne Vic.,
PO Box 13064, Law Court PO, Melbourne 8010
CEO is Mr Peter Condliffe
Telephone (03) 9607 6999
Fax (03) 9602 2833
Email national@iama.org.au

• A one-day "Introduction to Arbitration" course as a preface to the General Arbitration course. While not a prerequisite for the General Course, it is useful, particularly for non-lawyers, to understand what may be new terminology and areas of law.
• A 13 week General Course in Arbitration and Mediation and a complementary Advanced Course developed by the Office of Continuing Education of the University of Adelaide and The Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia.
• A ‘pupillage’ programme for members wishing to obtain the necessary practical experience to assist them prior to attending a Grading Interview. Pupils are, with the agreement of parties to a dispute, able to sit with an experienced arbitrator for all or part of an arbitration hearing.
• A Master Class is organised each year in each Chapter for Grade 1 and Grade 2 arbitrators.
• Mediation training courses of a minimum three day duration are conducted in each Chapter each year followed by a one day mediation accreditation day
• Training course for Expert Determination to supplement the Institute’s new Expert Determination Rules and held in each Chapter each year over two one-half days or one full-day.

La Trobe University
School of Law and Legal Studies, Bundoora, Vic, 3083
Contact Tom Fisher Tel: (03) 9479 2423 Fax: (03) 9479 1607
Email  T.Fisher@latrobe.edu.au

Family Law for Mediators - subject is part of Graduate Diploma in Family Law

Monash University
School of Law and Legal Studies, in conjunction with the Family Mediation Centre www.mediation.com.au

The University of Notre Dame at Fremantle offers a course of Training in Arbitration Law and Practice. It was last held from 28 November to 5 December 2004. See flyer (PDF Acrobat file, 2 pages.)