Australian Dispute Resolution Association

ADRA - Australian Dispute Resolution Association Inc.Founded| 1986

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Type| Professional Mediator Association
Focus| mediation and alternative dispute resolution ADR
Location|

* Sydney, New South Wales

Product| professional member services, lobbying, and advocacy

Key people

| Dr Katherine Pavlidis Johnson, President; Helen Miedzinski, Vice-President; Margaret McCue, Treasurer; Sam Bektas, Secretary
Website| {{{1}}}

The Australian Dispute Resolution Association (ADRA) is a professional mediator's body formed in 1986. It is headquartered in Sydney, Australia .[1]

Under the Australian NMAS (National Mediator Accreditation System), ADRA is recognized by the Mediator Standards Board (MSB)[2] as an authorized mediator accreditation body.

## Contents

* 1 Purpose
* 2 Organizational patrons
* 3 Early role in promoting mediation and ADR thought in Australia
* 4 Lobbying efforts
* 5 International initiatives
* 6 Recognition
* 7 References

## Purpose

ADRA was originally formed by litigation lawyers and allied professionals to promote mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) as alternatives to conventional, adversarial litigation. It is written that this was "at a time when there was a very strong lawyer bias against mediation" in Australia.[3]

## Organizational patrons

The original patron of ADRA was the 14th Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and Lieutenant-Governor of New South Wales Sir Laurence Street. ADRA's current patron is prominent Australian judge and former politician Terry Sheahan AO.

The Law Society of New South Wales is an ADRA sponsor.

## Early role in promoting mediation and ADR thought in Australia

In terms of promoting mediation and alternative dispute resolution in Australia, ADRA was instrumental in the formation of today's respected and well-known Australasian Dispute Resolution Journal (ADRJ) - a regular Journal containing articles on non-adjudicative processes.

The ADRJ was first published by ADRA as a two-page circular and then in February 1990 as a quarterly journal under the ADJR name and expressed as being 'in association with' ADRA.[3] The ADRJ continues to be published by Thomson Reuters,[4] a multinational media conglomerate.

## Lobbying efforts

ADRA has historically been active in lobbying Governments, including: \- to better facilitate the use of mediation and alternative dispute resolution processes to improve access to justice and outcomes;[5] \- for Australia's entry into the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, otherwise known as the Singapore Convention on Mediation, to which 53 nations including the United States of America, China and India are signatory to.

Recently, ADRA initiated the formation of a peak dispute resolution body for the dispute resolution industry, the Council for Australian Dispute Resolvers (CADR), to provide a facilitative focal point for member group consultation with Government about the mutual needs and concerns of DR Industry, both on a national and international level.[3]

## International initiatives

ADRA members have assisted in nation building ADR initiatives overseas. In Mongolia, ADRA worked with the Judicial Council of Mongolia and the National Family, Youth and Child Development Authority, to train mediators and judges, in furtherance of the Mongolia's ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.[6]

## Recognition

In July 2021 a function at NSW Parliament was held to celebrate ADRA's 36th year in operation.

## References

1. ↑ "ABN Lookup". November 1, 2014. https://abr.business.gov.au/.
2. ↑ "Welcome". https://msb.org.au/.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Charlton, Ruth, Editorial: Australian Dispute Resolution Journal (2020) 30 ADRJ 245
4. ↑ "Australasian Dispute Resolution Journal (ADRJ)". http://sites.thomsonreuters.com.au/journals/category/australasian-dispute-resolution-journal/.
5. ↑ Johnson, Katherine, 'Matters of Interest: From Industry Forum for Dispute Resolution to Council for Alternative Dispute Resolvers (14 May 2014 to 25 August 2020)' (2020) 30 ADRJ 326
6. ↑ Johnson, Katherine, Nation Building through Mediation: The Mongolia Experience, (2020) 30 ADRJ 167

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