Chartered Institute of Arbitrators Australia
MENU
April 24th, 2026

Wan Sern and the Documents-Only Dilemma: Can low-cost arbitration be delivered without cutting procedural corners?

Wan Sern and the Documents-Only Dilemma: Can low-cost arbitration be delivered without cutting procedural corners? Geoff Farnsworth FCIArb Partner, Holding Redlich President, Ciarb Australia Branch *This paper was delivered by Geoff Farnsworth at the International Congress of Maritime Arbitrators XXIII in Singapore (22 – 27 March 2026) Introduction ‘Documents-Only’ is a ‘fast and low cost’ […]

January 15th, 2026

Warning! Arbitration ahead: AghaeiRad v Plus500AU Pty Ltd [2025] FCA 1602

Warning! Arbitration ahead AghaeiRad v Plus500AU Pty Ltd [2025] FCA 1602 Geoff Farnsworth FCIArb Partner, Holding Redlich President, Ciarb Australia Branch Introduction When is arbitration unfair? This was the question determined toward the end of 2025 by Thawley J in AghaeiRad v Plus500AU Pty Ltd [2025] FCA 1602 (AghaeiRad). What happened in this case? Mr AghaeiRad was […]

December 4th, 2025

Beyond the Black Box: From Hallucination to Proof in Legal AI

Beyond the Black Box: From Hallucination to Proof in Legal AI Laina Chan, Barrister and CEO of MiAI Law Dr Brydon Wang, Expert in Trustworthy AI and Automated Decision-Making in Law, Adjunct Associate Professor, Centre for Policy Futures, University of Queensland Snapshot Most so-called “Legal AI” tools predict language rather than prove law. Trustworthy systems […]

October 20th, 2025

Report: Ciarb Australia Annual Lecture 2025: “Diversity of Expertise in Arbitration: The Past, Present and Future”

Report: Ciarb Australia Annual Lecture 2025: “Diversity of Expertise in Arbitration: The Past, Present and Future” Presented by Professor Doug Jones AO Report by William Hettrick, ACIArb, Lawyer, Projects (Construction), Clayton Utz (Originally published in the ACICA AAW Blog, accessed here; republished with permission) Held as part of Australian Arbitration Week 2025, on 14 October. […]

October 9th, 2025

Article: Party Autonomy and The Limits Of Arbitrability: A Stoppable Force Meets An Immovable Object

Article: Party Autonomy And The Limits Of Arbitrability: A Stoppable Force Meets An Immovable Object* Paivi Adeniyi ACIArb Solicitor, DLA Piper, Brisbane *Winner, 2025 Ciarb Australia Essay Competition I Introduction The High Court’s recent decisions in Tesseract International Pty Ltd v Pascale Construction Pty Ltd[1] and Karpik v Carnival plc[2] illustrate that party freedom to […]

September 27th, 2025

Case note: CBI Constructors Pty Ltd v Chevron Australia Pty Ltd [2024] HCA 28

Case note: CBI Constructors Pty Ltd v Chevron Australia Pty Ltd [2024] HCA 28 Geoff Farnsworth FCIArb Partner, Holding Redlich President, Ciarb Australia Branch Meru Sharma Lawyer, Holding Redlich 1. Introduction The dispute in CBI Constructors Pty Ltd v Chevron Australia Pty Ltd [2024] HCA 28 (Chevron), concerned the Gorgon Project, a massive offshore oil […]

September 27th, 2025

Case note: Tesseract International Pty Ltd v Pascale Construction Pty Ltd [2024] HCA 24

Case note: Tesseract International Pty Ltd v Pascale Construction Pty Ltd [2024] HCA 24 Geoff Farnsworth FCIArb Partner, Holding Redlich President, Ciarb Australia Branch Meru Sharma Lawyer, Holding Redlich 1. Introduction Tesseract International Pty Ltd v Pascale Construction Pty Ltd [2024] HCA 24 (Tesseract) was an appeal from the decision of the Court of Appeal […]

September 27th, 2025

Case note: Carmichael Rail Network Pty Ltd as Trustee for the Carmichael Rail Network Trust v BBC Chartering Carriers GmbH & Co KG & Anor [2024] HCA 4

Case note: Carmichael Rail Network Pty Ltd as Trustee for the Carmichael Rail Network Trust v BBC Chartering Carriers GmbH & Co KG & Anor [2024] HCA 4 Geoff Farnsworth FCIArb Partner, Holding Redlich President, Ciarb Australia Branch Meru Sharma Lawyer, Holding Redlich 1. Introduction Carmichael Rail Network Pty Ltd as Trustee for the Carmichael […]

September 27th, 2025

Article: The High Court of Australia and the Principle of ‘minimal’ curial intervention in arbitration

Article: The High Court of Australia and the Principle of ‘minimal’ curial intervention in arbitration Geoff Farnsworth FCIArb Partner, Holding Redlich President, Ciarb Australia Branch Meru Sharma Lawyer, Holding Redlich 1. Summary The High Court of Australia’s 2024 decisions in Carmichael, Tesseract and Chevron show that the principle of ‘minimal’ curial intervention in arbitration in […]

September 27th, 2025

Article: Securing AI for Arbitration: Commercial and Government Advice

Article: Securing AI for Arbitration: Commercial and Government Advice Steph Hunt MCIArb; LLB (Hons); LLM (MIDS); Ciarb Australia Board Member; former adviser to Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Commonwealth of Australia; Litigator, International Arbitrator and Mediator, and Sessional Academic at Monash University, Australia. Assisted by Helin Usal, Thomas Hills and Sarah Khan (London City […]

September 27th, 2025

Case note: The Federal Court of Australia Enforces (More) ICSID Awards against Spain

Case note: The Federal Court of Australia Enforces (More) ICSID Awards against Spain Hamish Cameron Juris Doctor Candidate, Monash University 1. Introduction On 29 August 2025, the Federal Court of Australia delivered judgment in Blasket Renewable Investments LLC v Kingdom of Spain [2025] FCA 1028 (Blasket), enforcing a set of ICSID awards worth a combined […]

September 26th, 2025

Article: “The New Normal”: Virtual Hearings in Construction Arbitration Disputes: Two steps forward or one step back?

Article: “The New Normal”: Virtual Hearings in Construction Arbitration Disputes – Two steps forward or one step back? Robert Whitehead Partner, Head of DIFC & International Arbitration, HAS Law 1. Introduction The implementation of new technologies into the arbitration space has progressed at a significant pace, including the use of virtual hearings; however, is this […]