Evening Seminar Series – Sydney

Event Phone: +61 2 9239 0700

ADC’s Evening Seminars are designed to bring thought leaders and ADR practitioners together to discuss topics of current interest. They offer the opportunity for practitioners to stay-up-to date with recent developments and topics of thinking in discussion with industry experts. The seminars also provide a welcome opportunity for peers to network over drinks and nibbles.

Our ‘first Thursday of the month’ evening seminars are a convenient, cost effective and enjoyable way to meet your CLE and National Mediator Accreditation Standards’ CPD requirements and maintain your professional currency. Participants are eligible for one-point per CPD seminar.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) has been used to manage and resolve disputes in a range of areas.

This session explores the use of ADR in disputes relating to taxation and involves a consideration of effectiveness, procedural justice indicators and potential issues with the use of ADR in these disputes. The comments are based on a study that involved a selected sample of 118 Australian tax disputes that progressed to conciliation, mediation and evaluation over a 12 month period in 2013 and 2014. The study examines the results of 340 surveys of those involved in the sample disputes.

It is suggested that effective ADR processes can save time and cost and may support trust and acceptance of government decision making and promote better relationships between government and taxpayers.

What is the role of ADR practitioners in taxation matters?

What are the implications for other agencies generating high volumes of disputes?

Join us with your questions and comments for Prof Sourdin on this leading edge research into the ATO ADR experience.

Professor Tania Sourdin

Professor Tania Sourdin is the Foundation Chair and Director of the Australian Centre for Justice Innovation (ACJI) at Monash University in Australia.

Professor Sourdin has led national research projects and produced important recommendations for justice reform. In the past two decades, she has conducted qualitative and quantitative research projects into aspects of the justice system systems in 11 Courts and Tribunals and five external dispute resolution schemes.

Professor Sourdin is the author of books, articles and papers, and has published and presented widely on a range of topics including justice issues, mediation, conflict resolution, artificial intelligence, technology and organisational change. She is a Visiting Professor at the University of Sydney and has worked as a senior Tribunal member and as a mediator for more than 25 years. She has worked extensively overseas as an expert consultant in relation to disputes and dispute system design. In 2014 she was appointed as the National Broadband Network (NBN) Industry Dispute Adviser in Australia and also co chaired the 2014 National Mediation Conference.