Dear Member

Following my recent trip to Europe, where I engaged in various discussions on the global grains trade at London Grains Week , I was pleased to have the opportunity to meet Don McIntyre, the newly appointed Interim CEO of Ciarb. Our meeting at the global headquarters in Bloomsbury Square was insightful, highlighted by a tour of the premises and a review of the original Ciarb Charter.

This visit reinforced the important role that Ciarb has to play in arbitration globally, and the valuable international network that it provides to all Fellows and members. There is truly nothing else like it.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, we are pleased to announce a record number of activities, training events, and initiatives as we continue to celebrate our 30th anniversary.

Save the dates for Australian Arbitration Week, featuring significant contributions from Ciarb Australia, including the International Arbitration Conference co-hosted with ACICA; Prof Doug Jones AO to deliver the Ciarb Australia Annual Lecture, on a topic that is sure to attract much discussion:  Diversity of Expertise in Arbitration: The Past, Present and Future and from the Ciarb Australia Young Members Group,  the intriguing topic, Arbitral Provocateurs.

This month we also relaunch our partnership with the Federal Court of Australia with a seminar on Artificial Intelligence in the Courts and Arbitration: Servant or Skynet? On partnerships, we have been very busy engaging and collaborating with other branches to deliver interesting and insightful webinars, the first of which will be launched soon.

With the success of the APAC Diploma and Darwin Introduction to International Arbitration course, we are pleased to announce the remainder of the 2025 Training Program which includes the Introduction to International Arbitration, Accelerated Route To Membership and Accelerated Routed To Fellowship. The Darwin course provides a perfect springboard to launch the Northern Territory Chapter on 14 August followed by Judicial Training Day delivered by Professors Doug Jones AO and Janet Walker CM.

As part of the branch’s ongoing investment in providing young members with opportunities, the Introduction to the International Arbitration course to be held in Melbourne will include winners of the 2025 Pre-Moot; UNSW team: Aman Mohamed, Sonia Ram, Nathan Roberts and Tucker Greer coached by Ashna Taneja MCIArb; Top Students in the Dispute Resolution in International Tax course, Bond University: Harrison Waite, WMS Tax and Advisory, Gold Coast; Harrison Dean, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, Brisbane. Winner of 2025 Ciarb Australia Essay Competition, Paivi Adeniyi, DLA Piper, Brisbane; Best Oralist of Deakin University Moot, Hamish Cameron, White & Case, Melbourne; and our hardworking Resources Hub  Editorial Committee William Hettrick (Chair), Cari-Dee Le and Jemima Roe. The Hub is due to be launched soon. Here you will find the latest news in regulatory reform, legislation, case law and items of interest from Australia and around the world, to inform and support your practice.

In our Member Profile, we shine a light on the distinguished career of Ciarb Fellow, Tim L’Estrange.

As I participate in upcoming events across Australia, I look forward to the opportunity of meeting many of you in person.