ATTORNEY-GENERAL

HON ROBERT McCLELLAND MP

MEDIA RELEASE

4 November 2009

Attorney General, Robert McClelland, today launched the National Alternative Dispute Resolution Advisory Council (NADRAC) Report into alternative dispute resolution in the civil justice system.

In June last year, the Attorney asked NADRAC to enquire into and identify strategies to remove barriers and provide incentives to promote the greater use of appropriate dispute resolution options as an alternative to formal litigation.

The report titled, The Resolve to Resolve: Embracing ADR to Improve Access to Justice in the Federal Jurisdiction, finds that alternative dispute resolution (ADR) remains significantly under utilized and that a key barrier is a lack of knowledge and understanding amongst the profession, litigants and the general public.

The report contains 39 recommendations aimed at improving the ADR system and encouraging its greater use, including imposing a legislative obligation on prospective litigants to seek to resolve disputes before they go to court;

The Government will closely examine the report’s recommendations, which complement and build on our commitment to improve access to justice.

A copy of the report is available at www.nadrac.gov.au or at www.ag.gov.au.