9–13 November 2026
International Mediation Awareness Week 2026
For lawyers, organisations, individuals and parents — a week of free events showing how mediation can resolve disputes without going to court. Different focus each day, with sessions added here as they’re confirmed.
See this week’s events Register your interest to presentPresenting or hosting? Read the Before You Start guide (PDF) first – it lists what to have ready so you can complete the form in one go. Expressions of interest close Sunday 1 November 2026.
Counting down to IMAW 2026
Who this week is for
IMAW isn’t just for mediators — it’s for anyone facing a dispute, or supporting someone who is.
Lawyers
Considering mediation for a client, or wanting to understand the process before you recommend it.
Find a mediator →Organisations
Resolving workplace, community or commercial disputes without heading straight to court.
How mediation works →Individuals
Facing a dispute of your own and want to know what your options are outside the legal system.
Find a mediator →Parents
Working out parenting arrangements after separation, with support to keep the focus on your kids.
Working with families →Family violence & relationship services
Supporting clients through separation and divorce, and needing to know when mediation is safe and appropriate — and when it isn’t.
Wednesday: family dispute resolution →Schools & educational institutions
Handling conflict between students, staff and families. Thursday’s sessions have an education focus.
Thursday’s education focus →Volunteer organisations
Committees, clubs and community groups working through internal conflict without losing good volunteers over it.
How ICDRS helps community groups →Elder mediation
Preventing elder abuse and keeping the older person’s voice at the centre of decisions about care, living arrangements and estates — including where there’s no will.
Tuesday: elder mediation & estates →A different focus each day
IMAW 2026 runs Monday 9 to Friday 13 November, with a different theme each day. Every session is free — register through Eventbrite to receive the joining link. Sessions and presenters are added here as they’re locked in, so check back through October and November.
Monday 9 November — Mediation in Workplaces, Community Groups and Organisations
TIME TBC (AEDT) · 1 HOUR
Know your rules, keep your volunteers
Handling disputes and complaints in community groups.
Presented by Joanne Law, Interact Support – ICDRS.
Know your rules, learn the first steps of conflict management, and keep the volunteers and team members your group depends on.
About Joanne: Director of Mediation Institute and AMDRAS Advanced Mediator. She co-founded and leads Interact Community Dispute Resolution Service (ICDRS), a volunteer-led service that mediates exactly these kinds of disputes for clubs, associations and not-for-profits.
Tuesday 10 November — Elder Mediation and Estates
TIME TBC (AEDT) · 1 HOUR
Place Holder - Events coming soon
Presented by [Name], [Organisation].
[One or two lines about what the session covers and who it is for.]
Wednesday 11 November — Family Dispute Resolution
TIME TBC (AEDT) · 1 HOUR
Family violence, family law and FDR: what counsellors and family violence workers need to know
How Family Dispute Resolution works when family violence is part of the picture.
Presented by Joanne Law, Mediation Institute.
What FDR Practitioners must do to assess suitability and safety, what a section 60I certificate is, and how shuttle, online and lawyer-assisted FDR can give people a safer, faster and less costly alternative to court. For counsellors, family violence workers, lawyers and anyone supporting separating clients. Presented in association with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.
About Joanne: Director of Mediation Institute, accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and AMDRAS Advanced Mediator. She leads Interact Support, a not-for-profit providing online FDR and community mediation, and has a particular interest in making dispute resolution safe and useful for people affected by family violence.
Thursday 12 November — Education focus
TIME TBC (AEDT) · 1 HOUR
Place Holder - Sessions coming soon
Presented by Peter Johnstone, Queensland Department of Education.
Details coming soon
Friday 13 November — More ways to manage conflict
TIME TBC (AEDT) · 1 HOUR
Place Holder - Sessions coming soon
Presented by [Name], [Organisation].
[One or two lines about what the session covers and who it is for.]
Presenters
Meet the mediators and practitioners presenting throughout the week. Profiles are added here as sessions are confirmed.
Joanne Law
Director, Mediation Institute · Interact Support (ICDRS)
AMDRAS Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner. Presenting Monday’s session on disputes and complaints in community groups.
Peter Johnstone
Manager - Dispute Mediation and Resolution Services at Queensland Department of Education · Lead Assessor Mediation Institute
AMDRAS Leading Mediator, Trainer and Assessor. Presenting Wednesday's session on the award winning program he designed and runs.
Organisations supporting, or supported by, IMAW 2026
Organisations backing International Mediation Awareness Week 2026, and the campaigns IMAW is helping to promote. IMAW is about helping people understand how mediation can make a difference; these organisations and campaigns share that goal.
Mediation Institute
Mediation Institute hosts International Mediation Awareness Week and provides resources to support this initiative throughout Australia and the world. Mediation Institute is one of the largest providers of Dispute Resolution Training and Membership based ongoing support in Australia. Find out more.
Interact Support Inc
Interact Support is a social enterprise not-for-profit dedicated to helping to prevent conflict and violence through dispute resolution
16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence
A global UN Women campaign, 25 November to 10 December. IMAW 2026 sessions on family violence and family dispute resolution are presented in support of the campaign.
Let's Chat Gippsland
Gippsland Women's Health's 16 Days of Activism collective. Mediation Institute and Interact Support are members, and Let's Chat Gippsland is supporting the Wednesday family violence, family law and FDR session.
Networking for dispute resolution practitioners
Five informal online sessions for practitioners — one each day, themed to that day’s focus. Free, but registration is required.
MONDAY 9 NOV · TIME TBC (AEDT)
Workplaces, community groups & organisations
For practitioners working with committees, clubs, not-for-profits and workplaces.
TUESDAY 10 NOV · TIME TBC (AEDT)
Elder mediation, wills & estates
For practitioners supporting older people, families and estates.
WEDNESDAY 11 NOV · TIME TBC (AEDT)
Family dispute resolution
For FDR practitioners and family mediators.
THURSDAY 12 NOV · TIME TBC (AEDT)
Education
For practitioners working with schools, universities and training providers.
FRIDAY 13 NOV · TIME TBC (AEDT)
More ways to manage conflict
An open session across all areas of practice to close the week.
Want to present or support IMAW 2026?
Presenters earn 3 CPD points for each one-hour session, and we’re happy to have you present any time throughout the year — not just during the week itself.
I want to present