Occupation: Mediator; Conciliator; Lawyer; Dispute Systems Designer; Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner; Adjudicator, Youth Justice Convenor, Facilitator; Negotiator;  Managing Director Mutual Mediations Pty Ltd.        


   

Qualifications:            Bachelor of Commerce; B.Com (Uni of Qld);
                                      Bachelor of Laws; LLB (Uni of Qld);
                                      Graduate Diploma Law – Dispute Management Law(Uni of Qld)
                                      Harvard Law School – Advanced Negotiation Certificate

Training/Qualifications in Alternative Dispute Resolution

• Graduate Diploma in Laws – Dispute Management Law, Faculty of Law, University of Queensland
• Advanced Negotiation Workshop, Harvard Law School  
• Mediation Skills Training Certificate; Faculty of Law, Queensland University of Technology University
• Leading Edge Alternative Dispute Resolution (LEADR) – Accredited Mediator
• LAMS Mediation Certificate – Queensland Law Society
• Certificate of Adjudication (Qld) – Adjudicate Today
• Certificate of Adjudication (NSW) – Adjudicate Today
• Accredited Convenor – Youth Justice Conferencing – Queensland Government -  Department of Communities
• Alternative Dispute Resolution Assistance Scheme (ADRAS) provider – Queensland Law Society
• Registered Primary Dispute Resolution Practitioner – Federal Government - Attorney Generals Department

Level of Involvement in Mediation and Dispute Resolution (Experience) - Overview:

• Actively mediated and participated in over 600 mediations in all areas of the commercial arena, the workplace sector and family law disputes as well as community consultations. Other dispute areas dealt with include; Environmental; Public Policy; Political, Criminal Law; Juvenile Justice; Indigenous Affairs; Employment Law; Industrial Relations; Administrative; Contract; Property; Franchising; Information Technology; Construction; IR; Trade Practices; Intellectual Property.
• Appointed mediator in 2005 by the Federal Government to co-mediate a resolution of the Aboriginal Tent Embassy issues and its future in front of Old Parliament House in Canberra. The Tent Embassy was originally founded in January 1972 by a group of Aboriginal protesters who believed the Government's policy regarding Aboriginal land rights was wrong, racist and unfair. The Embassy has survived in different forms for over 30 years, gaining renewed support from many quarters both Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities at a National and International level.
• Mediation Coach for the University of Queensland’s Mediation course. Mediation coach also for similar courses at Bond University and the LEADR organisation.
• Independent Chairperson – North-South Bypass tunnel – Community Liaison Groups. The Chair is independent from RiverCity Motorway and from the Leighton Contractors and Baulderstone Hornibrook Bilfinger Berger Joint Venture (LBBJV). The Chair acts as an independent resource and facility for the community.
• Mediator Mentor and primary dispute resolution practitioner for the inaugural Federally funded National Family Relationship Centre to open in South-East Queensland.
• Established a Body Corporate conciliation program for the Commissioner of the  Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry in compliance with new legislation.
• Mediated and designed dispute systems for Queensland Health in 2005/2006/2007 as a result of the Forster Report.
• Approved mediator for the Supreme, District and Magistrates Courts of Queensland.
• Approved mediator for the ADRAS scheme with the Queensland Law Society.
• Mutual Mediations’ Alternative Dispute Resolution Forum was established several years ago to be an exciting place to gain new knowledge and to share information with colleagues in the field. The practitioner-oriented Forum is attended by ADR scholars and graduate students in addition to ADR professionals from Brisbane and the surrounding area. Forum activities are open to anyone interested in alternative dispute resolution.

Other Relevant dispute resolution experience:

            Federal Government – mediator/facilitator – Aboriginal Tent Embassy dispute
            Federal Magistrates Court – Family Law Conciliator
            Federal Government – Australian Customs Service – panelist mediator
            Federal Government – Office of the Mediation Advisor – panel member
            Federal Government – Office of the Grocery Ombudsman – panel member
            Federal Government - Motor Vehicle Insurance & Repair Industry – mediator
            Federal Government – Family Relationship Centre – mediator mentor
            Queensland Government – Commissioner for Body Corporate - conciliator
            Queensland Government – Environmental Protection Agency – Mediator
            Queensland Government – Queensland Transport – panelist Mediator
            Queensland Government – Queensland Health – panelist Mediator
            Queensland Government – Communities Dept – Youth Justice Convenor
            River City Motorway – LBBJV – Bypass Tunnel – Independent Chairperson
            Legal Aid Queensland’s Chairpersons Panel - conferencing
            Crown Solicitors Office – Native Title Section – Mediation – experts register
            Brisbane/Redcliffe/Maroochy City Council – specialist services/mediator
            Education Queensland – panelist mediator
            Adjudicate Today - adjudicator
            Kimberley Land Council – panelist mediator
            North Qld Land Council Native Title Representative Body – mediation
            Queensland South Representative Body Aboriginal Corporation – mediator
            Torres Strait Regional Authority – panel mediator
            Gurang Land Council – panel mediator
            Relationships Australia – sessional mediator/mediation mentor
            Associate to the Hon. Justice B.H. McPherson CBE – Qld Court of Appeal
            Acting Associate to the Hon. Sir Anthony Mason KBE, AC – Solomon Islands
            Flower & Hart Solicitors 1998 – 1999

General Practice

In addition to my role as CEO of the AMA I am the Managing Director of Mutual Mediations which began in 2002. The firm specialises in the provision of Alternative Dispute Resolution services to individuals, families, businesses, communities and governments. Specialising in mediation, dispute systems design and Restorative Justice, the organisation assists companies and people to effectively mange conflict and resolve their disputes at a fraction of the cost of traditional legal means.

Mutual Mediations has formed many contractual and strategic alliances with the entire ADR field. We have worked with political parties, local , state and federal government bodies in relation to mediation and conflict resolution. We have worked with education institutions on the use of restorative justice principles, as well as government agencies and indigenous communities. We have assisted the implementation of Adjudication legislation for the Building and Construction Industry in Queensland, and I personally sit on numerous government panels as mediation consultant as outlined above. We have been involved in the pilot of the Federal Magistrates courts Family conciliation program. Additionally we assist legal firms and private organisations with the resolution of their disputes. Mutual Mediations has a network of over 300 Mediators in Queensland. For a comprehensive Corporate profile please visit www.mutualmediations.com

Affiliations and Membership

• Asia Pacific Mediation Forum
• World Mediation Forum
• LEADR
• Mediators Without Borders
• Concerned Mediatos.org
• Harvard Law School – Program on Negotiation
• Queensland Law Society