Saturday, December 15, 2007

Australian Mediator Accrediation Scheme

The Australian Mediation Association (AMA) has launched its role under the National Mediator Accreditation Scheme.

The AMA strongly supports and is committed to the application and implementation of the Australian National Mediator Standards, according to CEO, Callum Campbell. The Association is a Recognised Mediator Accreditation Body (RMAB) under the standards and acts to maintain and further develop the national mediator accreditation scheme.

“We aim to ensure that the Standards and scheme operate in an effective, efficient, satisfactory and fair manner.” Mr Campbell said.

The Australian National Mediator Standards apply to any person who voluntarily seeks to be accredited under the National Mediator Accreditation System to act as a mediator.

“Best practice and adherence to quality standards are imperative for professional mediators. We undertake to have an ongoing role in Standards development and the definition and any extension of the recognition process into the future.” Mr Campbell said.

As a RMAB, the AMA’s role in the system involves administrating and participating in the accreditation component of the national mediation accreditation scheme. The mediator must have personal qualities and appropriate life, social and work experience to conduct the process independently and professionally.

Those mediators accredited through the Australian Mediation Association will be allowed to call themselves an "Australian Mediation Registered Mediator" and use the logo which is expected to develop as a brand that signifies quality in mediation in Australia.

To fully support the implementation of the system, the AMA has launched the Australian Mediation Register, where accredited and non-accredited mediators’ services can be found and utilised.

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

Dear ADR Practitioners,

Our eNewsletters are designed to ensure that you remain updated within the dispute resolution field by receiving ADR news, dispute resolution job opportunities, networking events, seminars and conflict resolution information as well as many more opportunities within the ADR field.The last two decades have been a time of experimentation, development, and in certain areas, progressive institutionalisation.

The current community of conflict resolvers, however, has begun to organise itself as a coherent profession, field, movement, and discipline. This ADR generation has evolved to move beyond the seemingly endless introspective definitional debates and accept as fact that we are a unified profession and to get on with the hard political tasks of organising it.

The National Mediator Accreditation Standards are on track for implementation in January 2008. These Approval Standards apply to any person who voluntarily seeks to be accredited under the National Mediator Accreditation System to act as a mediator and assist two or more participants to manage, settle or resolve disputes or to form a future plan of action through a process of mediation. The Practice Standards are intended to govern the relationship of mediators with the participants in the mediation, their professional colleagues, courts and the general public so that all will benefit from high standards of practice in mediation. These certainly are exciting times.

The Australian Mediation Association's aim is to advocate, facilitate, encourage, and provide coordination for the development of programs incorporating ADR and Mediation as the preferred means of dispute resolution. We encourage the development of standards in training and certification in all areas of ADR while providing Industry, Agencies and Individuals with expedited matters to qualified ADR practitioners from the ranks of our Professional Membership.

Regards,

Callum Campbell CEO

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Official Launch - the Australian Mediation Association

After much hard work, we are proud to announce the official launch of the Australian Mediation Association:

The Australian Mediation Association (“AMA”) was founded in response to the growing demand from the public, private and Government sectors to engage in Alternative Dispute Resolution (“ADR”) to resolve conflicting issues between disputants. Of particular relevance to the AMA’s establishment are the mandatory mediation provisions of the Family Law Act, commencing on July 1, 2007.

Family law disputes are about to undergo a revolution that will have a profound and ongoing impact on aggrieved parties and their families. Under new mandatory mediation provisions of the Family Law Act, parties will have to undergo compulsory mediation in an attempt to resolve disputes before they can take matters to court. The Shared Parenting Act will usher in changes to dispute resolution provisions that will affect individual Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners (“FDRP’s”) and organisations approved to provide resolutions.

The AMA’s vision is to lead the ADR industry as the Resolution Experts, setting the standard of excellence by which all dispute resolution services will be measured. The most respected lawyers and other professionals in Australia will choose the AMA for the resolution of disputes, particularly when the stakes are high, the matter is complex, and the parties appear unyielding.

Australian Mediation Association CEO, Callum Campbell says that the past two decades of alternative dispute resolution have been a time of experimentation, development and, in certain areas, progressive institutionalisation. The present community of conflict resolvers, however, has not organised itself as a coherent profession, field, movement or discipline. July 1 this year signals a move beyond the introspective definitional debates and inspires the profession to accept as fact that it is a unified profession.

Federal Attorney General Philip Ruddock said in many respects Australia leads the world in ADR. “The Australian Government is committed to ensuring Australia remains at the cutting edge of ADR,” Mr Ruddock said.

The AMA will be regarded as the premier ADR service provider in Australia with distinctive dispute resolution services recognisable in all of its qualified mediators. The AMA is focused on facilitating highly professional, diplomatic and responsive interventions that achieve successful outcomes for all parties involved.

“The mediation industry has evolved from its infancy, and the reforms have thrust it into the mainstream. Entities such as the AMA – a group of lawyers, mediators and conflict resolution practitioners – will increasingly come to the fore,” Mr Campbell said.


For referral mediation work, the AMA invites all family dispute resolution practitioners and mediators to join their National Referral Panel by emailing: info@ama.asn.au or visit www.ama.asn.au or phone 1300 MEDIATE (633 428).

Our efforts are just beginning, there is much to do, and your support is deeply appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Callum Campbell CEO AMA