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75-671: The Commonwealth Ombudsman is also the Defence Force Ombudsman, Immigration Ombudsman, Postal Industry Ombudsman, Law Enforcement Ombudsman, VET Student Loans Ombudsman, Overseas Students Ombudsman and the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman. Many industries, such as aged care, banking, energy and water, telecommunications, etc., also have ombudsmen or similar bodies that assist with dispute resolution. The Commonwealth Ombudsman in Australia

150-479: A "mediator's proposal"), but does not impose a resolution on the parties. In some countries (for example, the United Kingdom ), ADR is synonymous with what is generally referred to as mediation in other countries. Structured transformative mediation as used by the U.S. Postal Service is a formal process. Traditional people's mediation has always involved the parties remaining in contact for most or all of

225-729: A Governor or Administrator. Since December 2014, the Chief Minister has been Andrew Barr , leader of the Labor Party . Following the 2024 ACT election , Labor formed a minority government of 10 members, after the Greens moved to the crossbench and dissolved the coalition that had been in place since 2012. Ministers are appointed by the Chief Minister. The current ministry of the Australian Capital Territory ( Fourth Barr Ministry ) comprises eight of

300-690: A consumer advocate. Like government run ombudsman services, the services of external/alternative dispute resolution ( ADR ) are sometimes free for consumers. The costs of the ombudsman services are usually charged to its members on a case-by-case basis, or can be determined on the number of complaints that the company has received for that financial year. Generally the providers in a particular industry (for example telecommunications, energy and water, credit, insurance, public transport) are required to be members of an independent External Dispute Resolution scheme (EDR) . A Board or Council with representatives of both industry and consumers as well as an independent Chair,

375-413: A dispute in court. The New Code also codified the role of the mediator in the courtroom, outlining that mediators must remain impartial and cannot give evidence on either party's behalf should the dispute progress to a judicial proceeding. In 2009, a report showed that Manitoba's experience with their Judicially Assisted Dispute Resolution program, an ADR initiative where the court appoints a judge to act as

450-460: A family and members of their extended related group. At this meeting (or often a series of meetings) the family becomes involved in learning skills for interaction and in making a plan to stop the abuse or other ill-treatment between its members. Neutral fact-finding is a process where a neutral third party, selected either by the disputing parties or by the court, investigates an issue and reports or testifies in court. The neutral fact-finding process

525-498: A mediator between two disputing parties who both voluntarily wish to pursue JADR. One of the main arguments for ADR practices in Canada cites the over-clogged judicial system. This is one of the main arguments for ADR across many regions; however, Alberta, in particular, suffers from this issue. With a rising population, in 2018 Alberta had the highest ratio for the population to Superior Court Justices, 63,000:1. The national average on

600-445: A method that is not the courts. "Appropriate" dispute resolution considers all the possible responsible options for conflict resolution that are relevant to a given issue. In negotiation, participation is voluntary and there is no third party who facilitates the resolution process or imposes a resolution. (NB – a third party like a chaplain or organizational ombudsperson or social worker or a skilled friend may be coaching one or both of

675-451: A mutually acceptable outcome. Beyond the basic types of alternative dispute resolutions, there are other different forms of ADR. Case evaluation is a non-binding process in which parties present the facts and the issues to a neutral case evaluator who advises the parties on the strengths and weaknesses of their respective positions, and assesses how the dispute is likely to be decided by a jury or other adjudicator. Early neutral evaluation

750-413: A party rejects an offer to conciliate, there can be no conciliation. Parties may submit statements to the conciliator describing the general nature of the dispute and the points at issue. Each party sends a copy of the statement to the other. The conciliator may request further details, may ask to meet the parties, or communicate with the parties orally or in writing. Parties may even submit suggestions for

825-412: A separate document signed by the parties containing the arbitration agreement. The existence of an arbitration agreement can also be inferred by written correspondence such as letters, telex, or telegrams which provide a record of an agreement. An exchange of statement of claim and defence in which the existence of an arbitration agreement is alleged by one party and not denied by other is also considered as

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900-407: A separating couple shares one lawyer who advises them both, impartially and together, as to how a judge would view their case, and the likely outcome were they to litigate, thus enabling them to reach a fair settlement on separation or divorce. This differs from early neutral evaluation as it is designed so that parties never require separate representation, are assisted throughout by one legal team and

975-710: A single Head of Service. Administrative units, known as Directorates, are grouped under areas of portfolio responsibility. Each Directorate is led by a Director-General who reports to one or more Ministers. As of November 2020 , there are nine Directorates: The ACT Government also has a number of Public Authorities and Territory Owned Corporations: The following are officers of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly : Alternative dispute resolution Alternative dispute resolution ( ADR ), or external dispute resolution ( EDR ), typically denotes

1050-493: A success rate of 64%, while its counterpart in Kerala has an average success rate of 27.7%. Furthermore, amongst the three southern states (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala), Tamil Nadu is said to have the highest adoption of dispute resolution, Kerala the least. An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to domestic arbitration, international commercial arbitration and enforcement of foreign arbitral awards as also to define

1125-496: A systems approach in order to offer different kinds of options to people who are in conflict and to foster "appropriate" dispute resolution. That is, some cases and some complaints, in fact, ought to go to a formal grievance, to a court, to the police, to a compliance officer, or to a government IG. Other conflicts could be settled by the parties if they had enough support and coaching, and yet other cases need mediation or arbitration. Thus "alternative" dispute resolution usually means

1200-663: A third party selected by an institution—for example, a university, hospital, corporation or government agency—to deal with complaints by employees, clients or constituents. An organizational ombudsman works within the institution to look into complaints independently and impartially. Calling an organizational ombudsman is always voluntary; according to the International Ombudsman Association Standards of Practice, no one can be compelled to use an ombudsman office. Organizational ombudsman offices refer people to all conflict management options in

1275-446: A time of divorce or separation , including child support, custody issues and division of property". Party-directed mediation (PDM) is an approach to mediation that seeks to empower each party in a dispute, enabling each party to have a more direct influence upon the resolution of a conflict, by offering both means and processes for enhancing the negotiation skills of contenders. The intended prospect of party-directed mediation

1350-401: A valid written arbitration agreement. Any party to the dispute can start the process of appointing an arbitrator and if the other party does not cooperate, the party can approach the office of Chief Justice for the appointment of an arbitrator. There are only two grounds upon which a party can challenge the appointment of an arbitrator – reasonable doubt in the impartiality of the arbitrator and

1425-466: A wide range of dispute resolution processes and techniques that parties can use to settle disputes with the help of a third party. They are used for disagreeing parties who cannot come to an agreement short of litigation . However, ADR is also increasingly being adopted as a tool to help settle disputes within the court system. Despite historic resistance to ADR by many popular parties and their advocates, ADR has gained widespread acceptance among both

1500-422: Is Leon Atkinson-MacEwen. Unlike the government run ombudsman services, industry-based ombudsman resolve complaints made against their members, who are required to pay a yearly membership fee. Industry-based ombudsmen generally operate according to a constitution and are claimed to be impartial in their decision-making. That is, they are said to not take sides—they are often required to act neither as an industry nor

1575-508: Is Peter Shoyer. The SA Ombudsman is a completely independent official who has comprehensive power to investigate government departments and authorities and local government councils. The office provides 'free, impartial, informal and timely resolution of complaints to promote fairness, openness and good public administration in South Australia'. The current Ombudsman is Wayne Lines. The Victorian Ombudsman investigates complaints from

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1650-460: Is a process that takes place soon after a case has been filed in court. The case is referred to an expert who is asked to provide a balanced and neutral evaluation of the dispute. The evaluation of the expert can assist the parties in assessing their case and may influence them towards a settlement. One Couple One Lawyer, or Single Lawyer, is a family law process developed in England and Wales where

1725-551: Is also the President of the International Ombudsman Institute since May 2021. The Queensland Ombudsman's Office is an independent complaints investigation agency. Its role is to make sure that public agencies (State government departments and bodies, and local councils) act fairly and make the right decisions for Queenslanders. The current Queensland Ombudsman is Anthony Reilly, who was appointed to

1800-583: Is chaired by the Master of the Rolls, Head of Civil Justice. ADR has historically been divided between methods of resolving disputes outside of official judicial mechanisms and informal methods attached to official judicial mechanisms. Regardless of whether they are part of an overarching proceeding, the mechanisms are generally similar. There are four general classes of ADR: negotiation , mediation , collaborative law , and arbitration . In some contexts, such as in

1875-496: Is known as online dispute resolution (ODR, which is mostly a buzzword and an attempt to create a distinctive product). ODR services can be provided by government entities, and as such may form part of the litigation process. Moreover, they can be provided on a global scale, where no effective domestic remedies are available to disputing parties, as in the case of the UDRP and domain name disputes. In this respect, ODR might not satisfy

1950-509: Is now more commonly referred to as ‘NCDR’ (Non Court Dispute Resolution), in an effort to promote this as the normal (rather than alternative) way to resolve disputes. A 2023 judgment of the Court of Appeal called Churchill v Merthyr confirmed that in the right case the Court can order (i) the parties to engage in NCDR and / or (ii) stay the proceedings to allow for NCDR to take place. This overturns

2025-520: Is now the greatest challenge to the rule of law in Canada today... [The] balance between procedure and access struck by our justice system must reflect modern reality and recognize that new models of adjudication can be fair and just." However, in the decades leading up to this declaration there had already been a number of experiments in ADR practices across the provinces. One of the first and most notable ADR initiatives in Canada began on 4 January 1999, with

2100-434: Is over, or if such an appeal is rejected, the award is binding on the parties and is considered as a decree of the court. Conciliation is a less formal form of arbitration. This process does not require the existence of any prior agreement. Any party can request the other party to appoint a conciliator. One conciliator is preferred but two or three are also allowed. In the case of multiple conciliators, all must act jointly. If

2175-418: Is particularly useful for resolving complex scientific and factual disputes. Expert determination is a procedure where a dispute or a difference between the parties is submitted, by mutual agreement of the parties, to one or more experts who make a determination on the matter referred to them. The determination is binding, unless the parties agreed otherwise, and is a confidential procedure. Ombudsmen are

2250-577: Is responsible for the operation of an industry-based Ombudsman. The Board or Council appoints the Ombudsman. Government or an independent regulator, such as the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) may be involved by approving the scheme and ensuring that it complies with certain standards. Sometimes a Government Ombudsman is also an industry Ombudsman. An industry-based Ombudsman typically charges each member according to

2325-753: Is the executive branch of the Australian Capital Territory . The leader of the party or coalition with the confidence of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly forms government. Unlike the Australian states and the Northern Territory , the Legislative Assembly directly elects one of their number to be the Chief Minister as the head of the government, rather than being appointed by

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2400-410: Is to improve upon the ability and willingness of disputants to deal with subsequent differences. In collaborative law or collaborative divorce , each party has an attorney who facilitates the resolution process within specifically contracted terms. The parties reach an agreement with the support of the attorneys (who are trained in the process) and mutually agreed experts. No one imposes a resolution on

2475-496: Is usually considered to be alternative to litigation . For example, corporate dispute resolution can involve a customer service department handling disputes about its own products; addressing concerns between consumers and independent, third-party sellers; and participating in a reputation-based enforcement mechanism. It also can be used as a colloquialism for allowing a dispute to drop or as an alternative to violence . In recent years, there has been more discussion about taking

2550-641: The Australian Human Rights Commission (previously the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission) which investigates complaints about discrimination because of race, sex or disability; or one of the other avenues of Australian Government administrative review. Review Tribunals can review the merits of an agency's decision, and they also have the power to change a decision. There are also several children's commissioner agencies at state and territory level. Complaints about

2625-652: The Crimes Act 1914 . The current Commonwealth Ombudsman is Iain Anderson. The various states in Australia have (variously described) state Ombudsman offices, with similar jurisdiction as described above, except over state government authorities. There is much collaboration in an academic sense between Ombudsmen in Australia, given the highly similar nature of their roles (despite differing jurisdictions). The offices frequently work on joint projects, such as those addressing difficult client behaviour. The first NSW Ombudsman

2700-814: The Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory and a system of subordinate courts, but the High Court of Australia and other federal courts have overriding jurisdiction on matters which fall under the ambit of the Australian Constitution. The ACT does not have a separate system of local government such as that seen in the Australian States and the Northern Territory . In the ACT, government functions that would usually be handled by local government are instead directly handled by

2775-675: The "alternative" element of ADR. In England and Wales, the Online Procedure Rule Committee was set up under the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 to make rules governing the practice and procedure for specific types of online court and tribunal proceedings across the Civil, Family and Tribunal jurisdictions. OPRC is an advisory non-departmental public body, sponsored by the Ministry of Justice. The committee

2850-529: The 25 members of the Legislative Assembly. The ACT has internal self-government, but Australia's Constitution does not afford the territory government the full legislative independence provided to Australian states. Government for the Australian Capital Territory is outlined in Commonwealth legislation; the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988. Nonetheless, the ACT is governed according to

2925-442: The ADR programmes available to them, thereby potentially limiting their effectiveness. The term "alternative dispute resolution" arose from Frank Sander 's paper, "Varieties of Dispute Processing". Traditional arbitration involved heads of trade guilds or other dominant authorities settling disputes. The modern innovation was to have commercial vendors of arbitrators, often ones with little or no social or political dominance over

3000-854: The Arbitration and Conciliation Act of 1996 is a fairly standard Western approach towards ADR, the Lok Adalat system constituted under the National Legal Services Authority Act, 1987 is a uniquely Indian approach. A study on commercial dispute resolution in south India has been done by a think tank organization based in Kochi, Centre for Public Policy Research . The study reveals that the Court-annexed Mediation Centre in Bangalore has

3075-799: The Private Health Insurance Ombudsman. Through an arrangement with the Government of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), the Commonwealth Ombudsman is also the ACT Ombudsman. The Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman (the Office) also delivers an International Program, funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade , to improve the governance and accountability in the Asia-Pacific region, and supports and monitors

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3150-468: The Territory government. The current arrangement of the incumbent ministry ( Fourth Barr Ministry ) of the ACT was appointed on 6 November 2024, comprising eight Labor Party members. The current arrangement of the incumbent shadow ministry was announced on 18 November 2024, comprising seven Liberal Party members. The ACT Government is served by a unified ACT Public Service agency , reporting to

3225-476: The accompanying Pre-application Protocol (Annex to PD9A), the One Couple One Lawyer process was also referenced “The court may also consider the parties having obtained legal advice via the “single lawyer” or a “one couple, one lawyer” scheme as good evidence of a constructive attempt to obtain advice and avoid unnecessary proceedings […]” A family group conference is a meeting between members of

3300-692: The actions/decisions of the organisations comprising the Australian intelligence community (listed below), may be lodged with the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security , currently The Hon Christopher Jessup KC . Government of the Australian Capital Territory The Government of the Australian Capital Territory , also referred to as the Australian Capital Territory Government or ACT Government ,

3375-644: The administration by other agencies of the Public Interest Disclosure (PID) scheme established under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013 . In addition, the Ombudsman has a number of statutory oversight functions in relation to law enforcement agencies' use of special powers, including those under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 , Surveillance Devices Act 2004 and Part 1AB of

3450-440: The benefits to mandatory mediation, these included: (i) providing one or more parties with new information they considered relevant; (ii) identifying matters important to one or more of the parties; (iii) setting priorities among issues; (iv) facilitating discussion of new settlement offers; (v) achieving better awareness of the potential monetary savings from settling earlier in the litigation process; (vi) at least one of

3525-598: The context of consumer agreements (e.g., credit card agreements), has drawn scrutiny from courts. Although parties may appeal arbitration outcomes to courts, such appeals face an exacting standard of review . Conciliation is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process whereby the parties to a dispute use a conciliator, who meets with the parties both separately and together in an attempt to resolve their differences. They do this by lowering tensions, improving communications, interpreting issues, encouraging parties to explore potential solutions and assisting parties in finding

3600-560: The creation of the Ontario Mandatory Mediation Program. This program included the implementation of Rule 24.1, which established mandatory mediation for non-family civil case-managed actions. Beginning in a selection of courts across Ontario and Ottawa in 1999, the program would be expanded in 2002 to cover Windsor, Ontario's third-largest judicial area. Until this point, opposition to mandatory mediation in place of traditional litigation had been grounded in

3675-643: The general public and the legal profession in recent years. In 2008, some courts required some parties to resort to ADR of some type like mediation , before permitting the parties' cases to be tried (the European Mediation Directive (2008) expressly contemplates so-called "compulsory" mediation. This means that attendance is compulsory, not that settlement must be reached through mediation). Additionally, parties to merger and acquisition transactions are increasingly turning to ADR to resolve post-acquisition disputes. In England and Wales, ADR

3750-419: The idea that mediation practices are effective when disputing parties voluntarily embrace the process. However, reports analyzing the effectiveness of Ontario's experiment concluded that overall mandatory mediation as a form of ADR was able to reduce both the cost and time delay of finding a dispute resolution, compared to a control group. In addition to this, 2/3's of the parties surveyed from this study outlined

3825-433: The jurisdiction of the arbitration tribunal, it can do so only before the tribunal itself. If the tribunal rejects the request, there is little the party can do except to approach a court after the tribunal makes an award. Section 34 provides certain grounds upon which a party can appeal to the principal civil court of original jurisdiction for setting aside the award. The period for filing an appeal for setting aside an award

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3900-480: The lack of proper qualification of the arbitrator as required by the arbitration agreement. A sole arbitrator or a panel of arbitrators so appointed constitute the Arbitration Tribunal. Except for some interim measures, there is very little scope for judicial intervention in the arbitration process. The arbitration tribunal has jurisdiction over its own jurisdiction. Thus, if a party wants to challenge

3975-404: The law relating to conciliation and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The process of arbitration can start only if there exists a valid Arbitration Agreement between the parties prior to the emergence of the dispute. As per Section 7, such an agreement must be in writing. The contract regarding which the dispute exists, must either contain an arbitration clause or must refer to

4050-417: The mediation sessions. The innovation of separating the parties after (or sometimes before) a joint session and conducting the rest of the process without the parties in the same area was a major innovation and one that dramatically improved mediation's success rate. Lawyer-supported mediation is a "non-adversarial method of alternative dispute resolution to resolves disputes, such as to settle family issues at

4125-452: The need was recognized for an alternative to the more adversarial approach to dispute settlement that is typical in traditional court proceedings. This growth continued over the coming decades, with ADR now being widely recognized as a legitimate and effective approach to dispute resolution. In 2014, the Supreme Court of Canada stated in Hryniak v Mauldin that "meaningful access to justice

4200-450: The number and/or the complexity of complaints it receives about the company. While the development of these facilities over the last 20 years has "lifted industry dispute resolution standards", the industry schemes have "stalled and cannot be described as world best practice". Each Australian state has established Energy and Water Ombudsman schemes, which work to resolve disputes between the consumers of electricity, gas and water services and

4275-417: The organization: formal and informal, rights-based and interest-based. But, in addition, in part because they have no decision-making authority, ombudsman offices can, themselves, offer a wide spectrum of informal options. However, ADR is less suitable than litigation when there is: In the 1980s and 1990s Canada saw the beginning of a "cultural shift" in their experience with ADR practices. During this time,

4350-460: The other hand is nearly half that, with one Justice being counted for every 35,000 Canadians. To become qualified as a mediator in Canada, it is possible to gain mediation training through certain private organizations or post-secondary institutions. The ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) is the preeminent ADR training organization in Canada. Alternative dispute resolution in India is not new and it

4425-503: The parties behind the scenes, a process called "Helping People Help Themselves" – see Helping People Help Themselves, in Negotiation Journal July 1990, pp. 239–248, which includes a section on helping someone draft a letter to someone who is perceived to have wronged them.) In mediation, there is a third party, a mediator, who facilitates the resolution process (and may even suggest a resolution, typically known as

4500-619: The parties gaining a better understanding of his or her own ADR in Administrative Litigation 157 case; and (vii) at least one of the parties gaining a better understanding of his or her opponent's case. In other provinces, the need for ADR to at least be examined as an alternative to traditional court proceedings has also been expressed. For instance, in 2015 Quebec implemented the New Code, which mandated that parties must at least consider mediation before moving to settle

4575-405: The parties. In arbitration , participation is typically voluntary, and there is a third party who, as a private judge, imposes a resolution. Arbitrations often occur because parties to contracts agree that any future dispute concerning the agreement will be resolved by arbitration. This is known as a 'Scott Avery Clause'. In recent years, the enforceability of arbitration clauses, particularly in

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4650-433: The parties. The advantage was that such persons were much more readily available. The disadvantage is that it does not involve the community of the parties. When wool contract arbitration was conducted by senior guild officials, the arbitrator combined a seasoned expert on the subject matter with a socially dominant individual whose patronage, goodwill and opinion were important. ADR can increasingly be conducted online, which

4725-436: The previous orthodoxy (the 2004 Court of Appeal decision of Halsey v. Milton Keynes General NHS Trust ) which was that unwilling parties could not be obliged to participate in NCDR. The rising popularity of ADR can be explained by the increasing caseload of traditional courts, the perception that ADR imposes fewer costs than litigation, a preference for confidentiality, and the desire of some parties to have greater control over

4800-580: The principles of the Westminster System , a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom . Legislative power rests with the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly . Executive power rests formally with the Executive, which consists of the Chief Minister and Ministers, and is informally called the Cabinet . Judicial power is exercised by

4875-526: The process has no adversarial features at all, either at the financial disclosure or advice stages. In April 2024, a new definition of NCDR was set out in the Family Procedure (Amendments No 2) Rules 2023/1324 as “methods of resolving a dispute other than through the court process, including but not limited to mediation, arbitration, evaluation by a neutral third party (such as a private Financial Dispute Resolution process) and collaborative law.” In

4950-562: The providers of those services. The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) is the external dispute resolution (EDR) scheme for all complaints regarding the financial services industry, approved by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). AFCA helps individuals and small businesses to resolve complaints about financial products and services and assists with complaints including credit, finance & loans, insurance, banking deposits & payments, investments & financial advice and superannuation. David Locke

5025-470: The public about It provides services that are 'free, fair and independent'. Marlo Baragwanath has been the Victorian Ombudsman since March 2024. The Ombudsman of Western Australia investigates complaints about Western Australian State Government agencies, statutory authorities, local governments and public universities. The Ombudsman for Western Australia since March 2007 is Chris Field. He

5100-501: The role in July 2020. The Tasmanian Ombudsman investigates complaints regarding public authority administrative action and contravention of state privacy legislation, conducts Freedom of Information reviews in respect of government agencies and can accept public interest disclosures (i.e. whistleblowing complaints) and other miscellaneous functions (e.g. auditing of police telephone interception warrants). The current Ombudsman from March 2012

5175-457: The selection of the individual or individuals who will decide their dispute. Some of the senior judiciary in certain jurisdictions (of which England and Wales is one) are strongly in favour of this use of mediation and other NCDR processes to settle disputes. Since the 1990s many American courts have also increasingly advocated for the use of ADR to settle disputes. However, it is not clear as to whether litigants can properly identify and then use

5250-439: The settlement of disputes outside the court. It provides that where it appears to the court that there exist elements that may be acceptable to the parties, the court may formulate the terms of a possible settlement and refer the same for arbitration, conciliation, mediation or judicial settlement. Due to the extremely slow judicial process, there has been a large emphasis on alternate dispute resolution mechanisms in India. While

5325-437: The settlement of investment disputes, arbitration is not considered as a form of ADR, since it is the principal means of settling these disputes. Some academics include conciliation as a fifth category, but others include this within the definition of mediation. Conflict resolution is one major goal of all the ADR processes. If a process leads to resolution, it is a dispute resolution process. "Alternative" dispute resolution

5400-863: Was appointed Chief Ombudsman of AFCA in November 2018 when AFCA commenced operation and replaced the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS), the Credit and Investments Ombudsman (CIO) and the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT). In some cases, it may be more appropriate for complaints to be investigated by the Information Commissioner (formerly the Privacy Commissioner ) who investigates complaints about breaches of privacy;

5475-522: Was appointed in 1975 and the legislation became operative in May that year. Since then, there have been many changes – public authorities have merged and separated and there have been seven different Ombudsmen. As of December 2017, the Ombudsman was Michael Barnes. The Ombudsman for the Northern Territory is independent of Government and provides a free service to the public. The current Ombudsman

5550-600: Was established in 1977. The Ombudsman can investigate complaints from people who believe they have been treated unfairly or unreasonably by an Australian Government department / agency or prescribed private sector organisation, including Australia Post, Centrelink, Child Support and the Department of Immigration and Border Protection. The Commonwealth Ombudsman is also the Defence Force Ombudsman, Immigration Ombudsman, Postal Industry Ombudsman, Law Enforcement Ombudsman, VET Student Loans Ombudsman, Overseas Students Ombudsman and

5625-458: Was in existence even under the previous Arbitration Act of 1940. The Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 has been enacted to accommodate the harmonization mandates of UNCITRAL Model . To streamline the Indian legal system, the traditional civil law known as Code of Civil Procedure, (CPC) 1908 has also been amended, and Section 89 has been introduced. Section 89(1) of CPC provides an option for

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