We now know the date as well as the location of the next National Mediation Conference. Now’s the time to put it on your diary. NMC is a practitioner-focused conference with a strong academic edge, covering all areas of dispute resolution. You can see the details of the last NMC here.

The next NMC will be held in Alice Springs, Northern Territory from 1-4 September 2021. Importantly, the conference will be hosted on the grounds of Desert Knowledge Precinct, a beau­ti­ful 73 hectare prop­er­ty on the South Stu­art High­way, 8km south of the Alice Springs CBD.

Spectacular Alice: ANZC by Ayi Lui (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

A copy of the press release from Prof Laurence Boulle, Chair of the NMC is posted below. Both Laurence and  Alysoun Boyle are members of the ADRR Network and are planning the 2021 conference.

The directors of the National Mediation Conference Ltd acknowledge the Traditional Owners of country throughout Australia, and in the context of this announcement especially the Western Aranda and Central Arrernte peoples of the Alice Springs region.  We recognise their connection to land, waters and culture, and we pay our deep respects to their Elders past, present and emerging.

In this regard the NMC is delighted to announce that the Desert Knowledge Precinct Partners (Centre for Appropriate Technology, Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education, Desert Knowledge Australia and the Desert Peoples Centre)  have issued an invitation to us and the dispute resolution community to hold NMC 2021 at their facilities in Alice Springs (https://www.dka.com.au/activities/dk-precinct).

The NMC directors have accepted this invitation and would also like to acknowledge the valuable assistance from the Northern Territory Business Events Support fund for NMC 2021.

The Welcome Reception for the conference will be on the evening of Wednesday 1 September 2021 and the event will run over the following three days, namely 2, 3 and 4 September.  In setting these dates the NMC Board has taken into account the timetable of The Ghan train from Adelaide to Alice Springs, and return.

Please save these dates and spread the word for an innovative, stimulating, and inspiring conference in the heart of the country.

The NMC Board is currently appointing a Design Committee to plan the conference and is commencing a formal process for selecting a Professional Conference Organiser. In due course, the Design Committee will start providing regular updates on all aspects of the conference.

Now it’s time to Save the Date and start preparing for a superb engagement in a wondrous setting.

See you in Alice.

Professor Laurence Boulle AM

Chair, NMC Board                                                                                                                            3 March 2020