2025 June Chair Report
The most recent Chair Report marked two months before the end of the transition from the National Mediation System (NMAS) to the Australian Mediator and Dispute Resolution Accreditation Standards (AMDRAS), and we are now only two weeks away.
On behalf of the AMDRAS Board, I take this opportunity to extend a sincere thank you to those of our members that have submitted applications to become designated as Recognised Training Providers (RTPs) and/or Recognised Accreditation Providers (RAPs).
I am pleased to report that a vast majority of our NMAS Recognised Mediator Accreditation Bodies (RMABs) are now designated Recognised Providers under AMDRAS, with a handful currently working with the Board’s Application Assessment Committee to obtain final approvals. Although a small number of former RMABs have elected not to continue as Recognised Providers, primarily for administrative reasons, we also have a new member or two, with more expected to follow.
A list of all authorised Recognised Providers will be published on the AMDRAS website on 1 July 2025, including details of those that have been designated RTP and/or RAP status. The list will also detail the RTPs that have been approved to deliver the Certificate of Training (COT), Certificate of Assessment (COA) and/or Practicum Certificate.
This Chair Report will cover:
- Recognised Accreditation Provider (RAP) Applications
- Recognised Training Provider (RTP) Applications
- Protocols for Alternative Pathways
- Guideline for Special Frameworks
- Advanced Mediator Time Limits
- Complaints-Handling Protocol
- Review of Standards
- Website & Database
- National Mediation Conference
Recognised Accreditation Provider (RAP) Applications
Earlier this week, the Board resolved to amend the NMAS to AMDRAS Transition Rules to provide those members that are yet to become designated as RAPs a further 3 months to obtain final approvals. The relevant NMAS to AMDRAS Transition Rules Notice of Waiver can be found here .
This decision was made in light of the time that it has taken for some applications to be submitted and/or processed, in particular those that have required further engagement between applicants and the Board’s Application Assessment Committee.
It has become apparent to the Board that some members require a greater level of support during the application process which, as a Board of volunteers, we are committed to providing whilst managing our own competing professional priorities and pressures.
Importantly, the amendment to the Transition Rules requires all applications for RAP status to be submitted to the Board on or before 30 June 2025, with the 3-month grace period introduced to allow the Board’s Application and Assessment Committee to process the final round of applications.
For those members that wish to remain a RAP post 30 September 2025, it is critical that your application be submitted to the Board by no later than 30 June 2025.
The 3-month grace period, coupled with Transition Rule 3.e. that requires NMAS Accredited Mediators to renew their accreditation under AMDRAS before the later of 31 December 2025 or the expiration of their current NMAS Accreditation, should see all practitioners remain accredited with their current RAPs before the end of the calendar year.
Members that do not submit applications to become designated as RAPs on or before 30 June 2025 will no longer be operating under AMDRAS from 1 July 2025. This may have far-reaching consequences for those bodies, and the practitioners accredited by those bodies. Recognised Providers that require further clarification on this process are encouraged to contact the Board without delay.
Recognised Training Provider (RTP) Applications
Many thanks to those members that have submitted applications to become designated as RTPs under AMDRAS, and congratulations to those that have obtained approval to deliver the Certificate of Training (COT), Certificate of Assessment (COA) and/or the Practicum Certificate.
It is not lost on the Board that the NMAS to AMDRAS transition has involved a great deal of work for those seeking to remain RTPs under AMDRAS. This has required applicants to demonstrate to the Board that the COT, COA and/or Practicum Certificate they intend to deliver meet the standards. The Board appreciates this has involved detailed reviews of course content and processes for our RTPs.
The Board has been impressed by the level of detail provided with most applications, and is grateful for the positive feedback from RTPs regarding the application and approval process. The Board has also been pleased to receive, more recently, positive reports from those that have delivered and participated in our first AMDRAS training courses, including the Practicum Certificate.
It is important to note there is no further grace period required under the Transition Rules in respect of RTP Applications. The consequence of not submitting applications to become designated as an RTP is that those bodies that wish to deliver any of the COT, COA and Practicum Certificate cannot do so. Running AMDRAS approved courses requires a submission to the Board for Board approval, with applications for any of the COT, COA and Practicum Certificate supported by details of course content and training / assessment materials. The Board understands that certain members do not intend to deliver the COT, COA and/or Practicum Certificate under AMDRAS until some point in the future. Some are delaying their applications to give them time to prepare their materials and will apply when they are AMDRAS ready.
This highlights that bodies that wish to deliver the COT, COA and/or Practicum Certificate need not necessarily apply to become designated as an RTP until a date closer to the date when they intend to deliver that training. The Board encourages those that fall within this category to apply to become designated as an RTP well before the intended delivery of AMDRAS courses.
Similarly, those RTPs that have been approved to deliver one but not all of the COT, COA and Practicum Certificate will need to apply to the Board to deliver the Certificate or Certificates for which they are yet to receive approval before delivering those courses. For example, some of our RTPs have been approved to deliver the COT and COA, with the intention to introduce the Practicum Certificate in the future. The Board will be publishing a form for this purpose that we expect will become available later this month.
Importantly, no organisation should be delivering the COT, COA and/or Practicum Certificate, or in any way representing that it has approval to deliver the COT, COA and/or Practicum Certificate, without the Board first designating and approving that organisation.
The Board is aware that certain bodies have and continue to promote AMDRAS training without becoming designated as an RTP before doing so. The Board appreciates this may be explained by some misunderstanding of the operation of the Transition Rules, which the above seeks to explain. If your organisation falls within this category and/or further clarification is required, we ask that you make contact as a matter of urgency.
Members who are promoting their intended delivery of AMDRAS training courses before becoming designated as an RTP or courses for which they are yet to receive approval should make it clear to practitioners that the delivery of their courses remains subject to final Board approval.
Protocol for Alternative Pathways
Since publication of the April Chair Report, the Board has revised its approach to alternative pathways in that Recognised Providers need not submit individual applications for proposed alternative pathways for the COT, COA or Practicum Certificate.
Instead, the Board has published separate protocols for alternative pathways to the COA, COT and Practicum Certificate under clause 34 of AMDRAS that now apply to all Recognised Providers. These protocols can be found here .
The Board has made this decision for various reasons, including to ensure consistency across all Recognised Providers in the application of alternative pathways, and to support our members. This also recognises the importance of our decentralised system, with Recognised Providers maintaining autonomy in respect of training content and systems.
The Board takes this opportunity to thank those Recognised Providers that submitted applications for proposed alternative pathways to the Practicum Certificate. Your applications and feedback have informed the protocol now published, to the benefit of our system.
In removing the need for Recognised Providers to submit individual applications for proposed alternative pathways to the COT, COA and Practicum Certificate, the Board reminds Recognised Providers of the Board’s auditing and complaints-handling powers under clauses 80 and 81 of AMDRAS respectively. The Board encourages all Recognised Providers to familiarise themselves with the protocols before applying any alternative pathways to the COA, COT or Practicum Certificate. If in doubt, or if a proposal is outside the scope of the published protocol, please contact the Board.
The Board also encourages all Recognised Providers that are contemplating an alternative pathway to the Practicum Certificate to consider encouraging eligible practitioners to complete a Practicum Certificate as outlined in sections 30 to 33 (inclusive) and Appendix 1, paragraphs 32 to 39 (inclusive) of AMDRAS rather than through a newly developed alternative pathway. As observed in the April Chair Report, this approach is likely to be easier and quicker for most practitioners. It also avoids the risk of having to revisit the compliance of any alternative pathway. Those senior practitioners who have completed a Practicum Certificate have reported that it was very worthwhile.
As also observed in the April Chair Report, it is critical to the integrity of our system that practitioners who are recognised as Advanced Mediators have completed a Practicum Certificate or an equivalent alternative pathway.
Guideline for Special Frameworks
As noted in the April Chair Report, the Board is conscious that practitioners will be unable to gain Leading Mediator status for some years under section 16 of AMDRAS without meeting the requirements of a Board approved special framework.
Unlike alternative pathways, each special framework must be approved by the Board. The Board will be publishing a guideline to assist those Recognised Providers that intend to submit applications for special frameworks. It is expected the guideline will be published on the AMDRAS website and circulated to all RTPs later this month.
The Board reminds Recognised Providers that all applications should include details as to how each proposed framework addresses the factors outlined in clause 16(c) of AMDRAS.
Advanced Mediator Time Limits
One issue that has been identified with the drafting of the standards is the time limit imposed by clause 39 in respect of Advanced Mediators. That section provides that practitioners who meet the years of practice and practice hour requirements to become Advanced Mediators and subsequently complete a Practicum Certificate, will not be moved to the Advanced level until the end of their next renewal cycle.
The practical effect of this is that practitioners cannot be moved to the Advanced level until and unless they have been listed as an Accredited Mediator for 6 years, which is inconsistent with the 4 years prescribed under clause 15.
To cure this inconsistency for now, the Board has recently amended Transition Rule 6.b. to the effect that practitioners who qualify as an Advanced Mediator between the operative date of 1 July 2024 and 31 December 2025 (inclusive) may be entitled to become an Advanced Mediator and be moved to the Advanced level within that period. To do so, practitioners will need to have met the requirements outlined in clause 14 of AMDRAS.
The relevant NMAS to AMDRAS Transition Rules Notice of Waiver can be found here , and the Board intends to cure this timing inconsistency with an amendment to clause 39 of AMDRAS before the end of this calendar year.
Complaints-Handling Protocol
As anticipated in the April Chair Report, the Board has now issued a protocol under clause 83 of AMDRAS to assist our RAPs that are subject to regulatory and statutory requirements, and who require Board approval of a different complaints-handling policy. That protocol can be found here .
The effect of the protocol is that RAPs that fall within this category are required to provide the name and written details of the alternative complaints-handling policy. Once approved, the RAP will no longer be subject to certain provisions of AMDRAS, however will be required to respond to any complaints that are not investigated or processed under its approved policy in line with the AMDRAS model policy.
Website & Database
We are pleased to announce the upcoming launch of the new AMDRAS National Register, designed to provide a more streamlined and user-friendly experience for RAPs, practitioners, and the public. In preparation for this transition, we invite all active RAPs to participate in a limited user testing period with access to the new register, but in a User Testing environment. Over the next couple of weeks, officers with access will have the opportunity to log in, explore the updated system, and provide feedback on its functionality and usability. Please provide any feedback via the Secretariat at [email protected].
To ensure a smooth transition, we kindly request that all RAPs verify and update their members’ information on the current register by Wednesday, 26th June 2025. On that date, access to both the old and new registers will be temporarily locked to allow for the transition. During this period, the final dataset will be reviewed, quality checked, and migrated into the live environment in preparation for the official launch of the new register on Monday, 1st July 2025. We appreciate your support and attention to detail during this critical phase.
National Mediation Conference
The AMDRAS Board is pleased to announce that we are once again the Principal Collaborator for the National Mediation Conference (NMC), with this year’s edition being held in Sydney from 21 to 24 September. The Conference, designed to bring together industry leaders and innovators, is an opportunity to connect with a diverse group of practitioners and share information.
As AMDRAS Chair, I will be presenting a Plenary Session to the conference on the Monday afternoon, and the Directors of the AMDRAS Board will be in attendance, and be hosting an exhibition stall to allow us to engage with attendees.
The Board encourages all Recognised Providers and Registered Practitioners to support this event, and hopes to engage with as many attendees as possible. For further details regarding this year’s NMC, including the exciting program released only last week, please visit the NMC website https://www.nationalmediationconference.com/
Here to Help
We invite those who have questions regarding AMDRAS including any application process to send an email to [email protected], and we will endeavour to respond as soon as possible.
The Board remains committed to supporting you, our community, by responding to all applications and questions as soon as practicable with the resources available.
Thank you again for your patience, and support.