A major Interactive Conference on managing development and environmental disputes will be held at the Wentworth Hotel, Sydney on 2-3 April 2001.
It will be jointly convened by the NSW Law Society, the NSW Department of Local Government, the Local Government & Shires Associations, the Australian Commercial Disputes Centre, the Royal Australian Planning Institute and the NSW Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee.
Participants will be able to discuss the Best Practice Guidelines for Management of Environmental Disputes. The Guidelines have recently been developed by the NSW Law Society’s Planning and Development Committee. Delegates will be assisted by experts in applying the Guidelines in practice. Relevant case studies will be discussed in interactive panel sessions involving leaders in the field, such as the international practitioner, Peter Adler.
The Conference follows a Seminar, held in 1998 at the NSW Parliament House, which was a sell out success. It will take the 1998 initiative further by assisting the participants to implement effective dispute management within their organisations. A thorough understanding will be gained about the benefits that can be obtained through a properly conducted dispute resolution program.
Bill Henningham, a member of the organising Committee, said that a comprehensive 1997 survey of Sydney metropolitan Councils showed that when they referred disputes to mediation, two thirds reached mutually acceptable outcomes.
The Committee hopes that the Conference can spread the word and the necessary skills to achieve an even better record, with accompanying savings in legal costs and time.
For information Telephone (02) 9926 0214
