Australian Mediation  - Terms and Conditions of Service and Payment

Australian Mediation provides professional mediation, family dispute resolution, proposal preparation and related dispute resolution services. All services are subject to practitioner availability, client suitability, completion of any required intake and assessment process, and payment of the applicable service fee.

Fees are payable in advance unless otherwise agreed in writing. A booking is not confirmed until payment has been received. Where a service involves more than one party, each party is responsible for payment of their nominated share of the fee unless alternative arrangements have been approved by Australian Mediation.

Clients are responsible for providing accurate information, completing required documents, attending scheduled appointments on time, and participating in the process respectfully and in good faith. Australian Mediation does not provide legal advice and clients are encouraged to obtain independent legal advice before, during or after the mediation process, particularly before signing any agreement.

Requests to reschedule or cancel an appointment must be made as early as possible. Fees may be non-refundable where late cancellation, non-attendance, or insufficient notice results in practitioner time being reserved and unable to be reallocated. Australian Mediation reserves the right to decline, suspend or terminate services where mediation is assessed as unsuitable or unsafe.

By making payment for a service provided by Australian Mediation it is assumed that you accept and agree to abide by the following terms and conditions, and those contained in your booking emails.  If you have any questions please contact Reception directly on 0419 531 269 or email office@australianmediation.com.au prior to confirming and making payment for your booking.

All amounts quoted for the provision of Australian Mediation's services are stated inclusive of 10% Goods and Services Tax as per Australian law.

Australian Mediation will provide a payment receipt only upon request.  Clients can request a payment receipt once the service has been paid and provided, not prior.  All bookings made prior to payment being received are tentative, and the booking time can be offered to another client at Australian Mediation' sole discretion.

Confidentiality - Neither the Client nor Australian Mediation shall disclose to third parties or use for any purpose (other than providing or benefiting from the Services) any information provided by the other unless required by law or the information is already available to the public, or the other consents to the disclosure.

The Family Dispute Resolution Intake & Assessment sessions do not go for a set time, which is why we request parties to allow “up to 60 minutes”.  Each matter is different so it is not possible to provide a set time.  The cost of the Intake & Assessment session also includes the issue of a s60I certificate when appropriate.  No refund is provided for sessions that go for less than 60 minutes.

If you have booked a joint mediation session as part of the Family Dispute Resolution process, funds are not refunded for any time that is not used during a joint mediation session, for whatever reason.  It is at the sole discretion of the Mediator credit with three (3) months validity may be provided.  Joint mediation session are quoted as "up to two (2) hours" or "up to three (3) hours" and if time is not used during this scheduled session a refund or credit is not provided.  Pricing for mediation services includes not only the scheduled session time, but also the administration and client management services provided through the process, including initial enquiry processing.

Mediation pricing includes the preparation of a Record of Parenting Agreement when required.  If any booked session is cancelled, for whatever reason, within 48 hours of the session time a refund is not provided but the booking can be moved (once), or a credit offered.

The cost of issuing a s60I certificate is included in the cost of Intake & Assessment sessions.  s60I certificates are issued at the complete discretion of the Mediator.

If you would like to provide feedback or make a complaint with regards to Australian Mediation's services our official complaints process is provided by the Resolution Institute of Australasia.  As part of the accreditation of our practitioners we are required to have this formal process available to clients.  The contact details for the Resolution Institute of Australasia, of which Melinda Bailey (FDRP) is a member, are as follows:

• Suite 602, Level 6
• Tower B, Zenith Centre
• 821 - 843 Pacific Highway
• Chatswood NSW 2067
• infoaus@resolution.institute
• 02 9251-3366 or 1800 651 650
• www.resolution.institute

The contact detials of the Mediation Institute, of which Alex Blake (FDRP) is a member, are as follows:

• Phone: 1300 781 533
• Email: office@mediationinstitute.edu.au
• Online Form: Submit details via the Mediation Institute Contact Page.
• Complaint Form: Download their formal policy and documents on the Mediation Institute Complaint Handling Service Page.