Employer Demand for Mediation

Abstract

In 1999, the Howard Liberal-National Government sought to amend the Workplace Relations Act 1996 to allow parties in dispute to seek private mediation as an alternative to the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC). Despite its failure to secure the changes to the Act, there is evidence that some organisations are already utilising private mediation. This study examines the level of support and demand for private mediation amongst surveyed employers. It found that while the level of support of employers for private mediation is lower than the support for the AIRC, there is a groundswell of interest in a private dispute resolution system.