INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION AWARENESS WEEK 2026 · PRESENTER
Joanne Law
Director, Mediation Institute · Accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner · AMDRAS Advanced Mediator
Joanne is presenting two free online sessions during IMAW 2026 (9 to 13 November): one for committees, clubs and community groups, and one for counsellors, family violence workers and lawyers supporting people through separation.
International Mediation Awareness Week 2026
Monday 9 to Friday 13 November 2026 · Online · Free. A week of free online sessions on the theme Helping People Understand How Mediation Can Make a Difference, with a different focus each day:
Monday 9 November – Mediation in workplaces, community groups and organisations
Tuesday 10 November – Elder mediation
Wednesday 11 November – Family dispute resolution
Thursday 12 November – Mediation in education
Friday 13 November – More ways to manage conflict
Sessions are presented by mediators, family dispute resolution practitioners, lawyers, educators and community leaders from across Australia and beyond, and coordinated by Mediation Institute.
Joanne's IMAW 2026 sessions
Each session runs for about an hour: 45 minutes of presentation and 15 minutes of questions. Registration links will appear here as soon as they are live.
MONDAY 9 NOVEMBER · WORKPLACES, COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS · TIME TBC (AEDT)
Know your rules, keep your volunteers: handling disputes and complaints in community groups
Most community groups are held together by goodwill, and most lose good people not to big scandals but to small disputes that nobody knew how to handle. This session is for committee members, coordinators and volunteers in clubs, associations, not-for-profits and community organisations.
You will leave with:
- a clear picture of what your constitution, grievance policy and Rules of Incorporation require of you when a complaint or dispute arises;
- practical first steps for responding early, calmly and fairly before things escalate; and
- an understanding of how a group’s handling of conflict shapes whether people stay.
WEDNESDAY 11 NOVEMBER · FAMILY DISPUTE RESOLUTION · TIME TBC (AEDT)
Family violence, family law and FDR: what counsellors and family violence workers need to know
Many counsellors, family violence workers and lawyers support clients who are separating but are unsure what Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) actually involves, whether it is safe for their client, and what happens if it is not. This session explains how the Family Law Act and the FDR Practitioner Regulations 2025 shape what a practitioner must do, and how shuttle, online and lawyer-assisted FDR can give people a safer, faster and less costly alternative to court.
You will leave with:
- a plain-English understanding of the suitability and safety assessment an FDR Practitioner must carry out, and what a section 60I certificate is;
- a sense of when to refer a client to FDR and what questions to ask a practitioner; and
- practical ways to help clients prepare and stay safe throughout the process.
Presented in association with the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (25 November to 10 December).
About Joanne
Joanne Law is the Director of Mediation Institute, one of Australia’s largest mediation training and accreditation organisations and an AMDRAS Recognised Training Provider and Recognised Accreditation Provider. She is an accredited Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner and an AMDRAS Advanced Mediator, and has trained and mentored mediators for well over a decade.
Joanne also leads Interact Support, a not-for-profit whose Interact Online FDR and Interact Community Dispute Resolution Service (ICDRS) provide affordable, volunteer-supported family dispute resolution, community mediation and conflict management support to individuals, families and community organisations across Australia. Much of that work is with clubs, associations and not-for-profits dealing with committee disputes, member complaints and volunteer conflict.
She is Secretary of Mediators Beyond Borders Oceania and a long-standing advocate for plain-language, accessible dispute resolution, with a particular interest in making mediation safe and useful for people whose lives have been affected by family violence.
Joanne at previous International Mediation Awareness Weeks
International Mediation Awareness Week 2025
“We’re separated. What do I do now?” with Interact Support.
International Mediation Awareness Week 2024 – on demand
“How to choose the right mediator” – watch the recording.
International Mediation Awareness Week 2022
Program review.
International Mediation Awareness Week 2021
Program review.
Resources and links
Interact Support
Online family dispute resolution and community mediation.
Interact Community Dispute Resolution Service (ICDRS)
Volunteer-led mediation for community groups and neighbours.
Mediation Institute
Mediation and FDR training, accreditation and membership.
Joanne on LinkedIn
Follow for updates before and after the sessions.
Slides, handouts and recordings from each session will be added here after IMAW.
Organisations
Mediation Institute
Interact Support
ICDRS
Join us for IMAW 2026
Five days of free online sessions, 9 to 13 November 2026, helping people understand how mediation can make a difference.