Title: Everybody needs good neighbours: service user experiences of state funded neighbour mediation in Queensland
Abstract: Mediation is increasingly becoming the way that disputes and complaints between neighbours are dealt with within the justice system. This thesis explores how participant experiences in state funded neighbour mediation align with mediation theory and, the often ambitious, aims of social conflict transformation through mediation. Mandatory mediation has engulfed state-based services, using brief, settlement oriented mediation to deal with neighbour issues. Given that the neighbours need to continue to live side by side, what effect does this sort of mediation have? This research looks to participants of a state based mediation service to ask their experience of mandatory and voluntary mediation, seeking to understand what affect the process had on them and their neighbourly relationship. 10 semi-structured interviews revealed that the parties were not often aware of the nature of mediation, and expected more enforceability for voluntary state based mediation agreements. Settlement of substantive issues in both mandatory and voluntary mediation improved the situation, but only so much as to be able to successfully avoid the neighbour. Underlying conflicts were not transformed. Meanings prescribed to agreements were experienced differently depending on the context of the dispute. Is there potential for more sustainable relational outcomes for neighbours using mediation
Publication Year: 2011
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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