In May 2000 the new Supreme Court Rules adopted mediation as part of the civil litigation process. Under the Supreme Court Rules Part 20, a judge is able to direct parties to attend a mediation. Parties may also voluntarily participate in mediation.
Mediation conferences are conducted in Hobart by:
Ms Elizabeth Knight, Registrar and
Mrs Merrin Mackay, Court Legal Officer.
In addition, both officers travel extensively to ensure that each Court Registry has mediation services available. For settlement conference venues and dates for the North and North West for 2003 see the circuit calendar listing.
Bookings for conferences with Mrs Merrin Mackay can be made using the electronic booking form (link available on left hand side of this page). All other conferences booking requests should be made by telephoning Ms Shelley Bawden, the Deputy Registrar's Secretary, on 6233 3735. There is a fee of $300 for each Conference.
In addition to the Supreme Court officers, there are a number of private mediators who have agreed to conduct mediations. The agreed fee for this service is $300 + $30.00 GST if applicable.