Early Resolution & Conciliation Professionals: Why This Symposium Matters for Your Team
- Shiv Martin
- 19 hours ago
- 5 min read
A sector-focused event bringing together dispute resolution professionals from Ombudsman, regulatory and public sector contexts to share practical insights, challenges and emerging approaches in early resolution and conciliation.
What makes dispute resolution in statutory agencies different?
There are many models of dispute resolution going around, as we know: mediation, conciliation, arbitration. But when it comes to operating in a dispute resolution context within statutory agencies or Ombudsman models, it is a separate beast altogether.
Why? Because staff are trying to find outcomes that meet the best interests of parties and resolve issues without the need for a formal investigation or decision-making process. At the same time, they have to comply with overarching statutory, systemic and policy objectives, and they have to do it within a very limited resource environment.
Those two pressures together create a very particular kind of challenge. They require dispute resolution professionals to operate differently. They require judgment, flexibility, structure, emotional intelligence and systems thinking, all at once.
This is why so many agencies have trialled, adapted and continue to evolve unique models of alternative dispute resolution, supported by frameworks and systems that help staff manage this work well in practice.
Why can this work feel so hard?
If you have ever worked in an Ombudsman office, a Commission or a Tribunal, you already know there is never enough funding or people to go around.
Sometimes it can feel like putting out little fires every day. You are responding to what is urgent, trying to move matters forward, managing emotion, expectations and complexity, while also knowing there are bigger strategic wins sitting there waiting for attention.
You can often see what could be improved. You can see the process bottlenecks. You can see the opportunities for better triage, clearer communication, earlier intervention, or stronger systems. But finding the time and space to work on those things can be incredibly difficult when the day-to-day pressures are relentless.
That is part of why this symposium matters.
Why doesn’t most dispute resolution training quite fit this context?
After about 15 years of working in this context, training in this context, and leading within this context, I have attended many conferences and symposiums. Government lawyers conferences. Coaching conferences. Mediation conferences. Resolution Institute conferences.
And while I have enjoyed them, and they have been excellent for networking and for broadening my thinking, often only a small portion has been directly relevant to the work I was doing inside early resolution teams, conciliation teams, and conferencing teams.
That is not because those events are not valuable. They are.
It is because this sector has its own pressures, its own accountabilities, and its own operating realities.
Working as a dispute resolution professional inside a statutory, regulatory or Ombudsman environment is not quite the same as private mediation practice. It is not quite the same as legal practice. It is not quite the same as investigations either. It sits in a unique space of its own.
So who is this symposium really for?
This symposium is designed for dispute resolution practitioners, complaints professionals, conciliators, conference officers, team leaders, managers and decision-makers working in Ombudsman offices, tribunals, commissions, regulators and other public sector complaint, conciliation and early resolution settings.
There are actually tens of thousands of us across Australia and New Zealand doing this work. And we are the frontline of conflict in the community.
We see everything. Building disputes. Human rights issues. Healthcare complaints. Energy disputes. Employment matters. Corporate conflict. Environmental issues. Disability complaints. Aged care concerns.
We see how conflict presents across systems, and we see the pressure points in those systems too.
That is why this sector is so important to focus on, not just in terms of process improvement, but in terms of professional development, capability and resilience.
What made last year’s symposium so valuable?
Last year, we ran this symposium for the first time and it sold out. Here is some of the feedback we received:
What I loved most was how relevant and grounded the discussions were. We heard from speakers including the Privacy Commissioner, an Energy and Water Ombudsman, Human Rights bodies, the Fair Work Ombudsman and the Fair Work Commission. We spoke about the challenges and opportunities in the system, staff wellbeing, managing challenging interactions, and the ongoing tension of balancing the role of regulator and resolver.
I wrote more about that experience in my earlier blog, Why This Symposium Matters: Learn from the Best in Early Dispute Resolution, and that piece still captures a big part of what makes this event so special. This year’s symposium builds on that foundation and continues the conversation.
Why is this year worth attending?
This year, we have another program of absolutely spectacular speakers lined up. Here's the program for the event:
What makes this event worth attending is the fact that the content is designed for this context. It is relevant to the people doing this work every day. It speaks to the real pressures teams are under and the very real opportunities they have to improve outcomes. It is also a chance to create a sense of community in a sector that can sometimes feel fragmented, even though the work we do is so deeply connected.
This symposium is about new developments, shared challenges, practical ideas and learning from each other.
What is the best way to attend?
Of course, if you work virtually and can only attend from home, that is entirely possible.
But I do think there is a secret to getting the most out of this event. If you happen to have an office and a team available, the best way to attend is to purchase a group ticket, book a conference room, and watch the conference together on screen.
Why?
Because in between speakers, you then have the opportunity to reflect together as a team about what you are hearing and what it might mean for your agency.
What resonates?
What feels familiar?
Where are your roadblocks?
What ideas could you take back into your own systems and processes?
I cannot tell you how valuable that kind of shared reflection can be. It helps teams connect, identify opportunities, and build resilience together, not just as individual practitioners, but as a whole service.
Ready to Register?
You can register with the Resolution Institute, here are the registration details to get started: Register here
If you have any troubles registering or would like more info, feel free to email us at office@shivmartin.com.
Hi, I’m Shiv Martin. I’m a nationally accredited mediator, lawyer, conciliator, and conflict management specialist with over a decade of experience working across government, business, and community settings. I support teams to navigate complex and emotionally charged situations through mediation and conciliation, conflict skills training, facilitation, and practical advice on policies and processes. My approach is grounded in law, psychology, and real-world dispute resolution, with a strong focus on clarity, fairness, and workable outcomes.
If you’d like to talk about how I can help you or your organisation, you can get in touch here: 👉 Contact us
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