AMDRAS and the 2025 FDR Practitioner Changes, Explained

AMDRAS stands for the Australian Mediator and Dispute Resolution Accreditation Standards. It is the national system for accrediting general mediators and dispute resolution practitioners in Australia, and it is administered by the AMDRAS Board, which was formerly the Mediator Standards Board.

AMDRAS accreditation recognises practitioners who have completed approved mediation training and assessment. It covers general mediation across community, workplace and commercial settings, and it is the standard most mediation roles refer to when they ask for an accredited mediator.

AMDRAS replaced the previous system, the National Mediator Accreditation System (NMAS). The change was phased. The transition began on 1 July 2024 with a twelve-month transition period, NMAS remained available until 30 June 2025, and AMDRAS fully replaced it from 1 July 2025. Mediators who were accredited under NMAS moved across to AMDRAS automatically, with no action required.

The main changes AMDRAS introduced were:

• Three levels of accreditation instead of one: Accredited Mediator, Advanced Mediator and Leading Mediator. The advanced and leading levels are reached through years of practice, practice hours and further requirements.
• A modest increase in core training, from 38 to 45 hours.
• A new written assessment for core training, and more time allowed for the simulated assessment.

Family dispute resolution practitioner accreditation is not the same as AMDRAS. An FDR practitioner is a specialised kind of mediator who works with separating families, and accreditation is granted by the Attorney-General’s Department, not the AMDRAS Board. The qualification behind it is the CHC81115 Graduate Diploma of Family Dispute Resolution.

This distinction matters. General mediator accreditation under AMDRAS does not make you an FDR practitioner, and being an FDR practitioner does not automatically give you AMDRAS accreditation. They are separate credentials with separate requirements. For the full picture of the FDR role, see how to become an FDR practitioner.

The Family Law (Family Dispute Resolution Practitioners) Regulations 2025 commenced on 1 April 2025 and updated how FDR practitioners qualify and practise. The main points are:

• Three pathways to accreditation: complete the full Graduate Diploma; or complete the core units alongside an appropriate qualification; or complete the core units alongside AMDRAS accreditation held for two consecutive years.
• An older pathway was removed. People who relied on being on the FDR Register before 1 July 2009 can no longer use that route, although anyone already accredited on that basis keeps their accreditation.
• You must hold professional indemnity insurance when you apply, and maintain it while accredited.
• You must be assessed as a fit and proper person.
• Continuing professional development of at least 24 hours every two years, which must now include training related to family violence.
• Accredited practitioners appear on a public register.

For a closer look at the three routes, see the three pathways to FDRP accreditation, explained.

Although they are separate, AMDRAS and FDR accreditation intersect. One of the three FDR pathways lets you qualify by completing the core units alongside AMDRAS accreditation held for two consecutive years. So AMDRAS accreditation can form part of a route into family dispute resolution, provided you also complete the core family units.

The two systems are being brought closer over time, but they remain distinct credentials from distinct bodies. If you are weighing up general mediation against the family pathway, how to become a mediator in Australia compares them.

Whichever route fits you, the training is the starting point. Family Conflict Institute delivers the full CHC81115 Graduate Diploma for people new to the field, and a focused core-units program for those who already hold a relevant qualification or AMDRAS accreditation. FCI delivers and assesses the training as a registered training organisation (RTO 45020), while accreditation itself is granted by the relevant body. To weigh up the cost, see how much the training costs.