Training in dispute resolution

Jack Cranstoun scholarship

In 2015, the Dispute Resolution Branch introduced a scholarship in memory of a much-loved member of their team, Jack Cranstoun.

The Jack Cranstoun Scholarship gives the opportunity to be trained in mediation and assessed under the Australian mediator and dispute resolution accreditation standards (AMDRAS).

You can apply if you are aged 21 to 35 and you:

  • live in Queensland (at the time you apply)
  • are an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or have a valid visa with work rights.

The scholarship provides training in 2 courses:

2025 program

Applications for the 2025 Jack Cranstoun scholarship are now closed.

Short-listed candidates will be invited to a panel interview through Microsoft Teams.

More information

For more information about the scholarship:

Previous recipients

The 2024 recipients were announced on 6 November. Congratulations to:

  • Tunde Ogunyale
  • Nicholas Delany
  • Elise Cardamone
  • Taeg Twist
  • Kia Thomas-Laughlin

We awarded an additional scholarship this year due to a draw between 2 outstanding applicants.

The 2023 recipients were announced on 4 October. Congratulations to:

  • Jenaya Ward
  • Jason Wang
  • Farhan Khudir
  • Micaela Diaz

The 2022 recipients were announced on 28 September. Congratulations to:

  • Amanda Martin
  • Nana Makatema
  • Nadia Saeed
  • Letticia Gooroovadoo
  • Gemma Sampson.

We awarded an additional scholarship this year due to a draw between 2 outstanding applicants from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.

Hear from some previous recipients

Taeg Twist: 2024 First Nations Peoples recipient

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Taeg Twist, 2024 Winner Jack Cranstoun Scholarship

“I applied [for the scholarship] because I saw it as a rare and powerful opportunity to strengthen my skills in mediation and dispute resolution while staying deeply connected to my community work. I wanted to explore the ways these tools could be adapted and grounded in Indigenous approaches to conflict management, ones that prioritise relationships, truth-telling and cultural safety.

“The scholarship expanded my ability to advocate effectively in a broader range of environments, from grassroots community meetings to more formal high-level discussions. The scholarship gave me the skills and confidence to navigate and facilitate complex conversations in a way that allows for all parties to be recognised.”

Elise Cardamone: 2024 General (open category) recipient

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Elise Cardamone, 2024 Winner Jack Cranstoun Scholarship

“I saw the scholarship as a rare chance to gain formal mediation skills—tools that can make a real difference in both my work and my community. I was drawn to the idea of creating spaces where people feel heard, respected, and empowered to move forward.

“Since receiving the scholarship, I’ve been accepted into the Master of Clinical Psychology and Clinical Neuropsychology at UQ. The training has already shaped how I approach difficult conversations with clients, colleagues, and students. It’s given me the confidence to step into challenging situations with a clear process and a focus on constructive outcomes.

“These skills will be invaluable as I move forward in my clinical work, and I also see opportunities to offer mediation in community contexts alongside my psychology practice.”

Recognised provider

The Dispute Resolution Branch is a recognised training and accreditation provider under AMDRAS.

Help us promote the scholarship

Access our promotional toolkit for web, e-news and social media resources.

Who was Jack?

Jack's former mediation partner John Campbell shares some memories from his time working with Jack.

On-screen text: Jack Cranstoun, a talented young mediator employed by the department’s Dispute Resolution Branch, tragically passed away in 2014. To honour Jack’s memory, in 2015 his colleagues introduced the Jack Cranstoun Scholarship.

Since 2015 the Dispute Resolution Branch has provided over $100,000 to young Queenslanders as part of the Jack Cranstoun Program.

John Campbell, Training Officer, Dispute Resolution Branch: He was new to the mediation space and I was the first mediator that he co-mediated with. A lot of our mediations are done individually but there's also a lot that are done together and so Jack and I actually mediated for his first co-mediation.

On-screen text: What was your experience like working with Jack?

John: I think the overall experience of working with Jack was a real standout. Monday mornings. Every Monday morning after a weekend he was so full of life and enthusiasm. He'd come in talking about his weekend and what he'd been up to and his zest for life was then quite infectious and I think that was the real highlight, the fact that talking to Jack on a Monday morning was a real uplift and it just set the scene for great working week.

On-screen text: As a former colleague of Jack, are you proud of the scholarship’s success?

John: It's a tremendously fitting acknowledgement of Jack as a colleague, but also his contribution to the mediation space. But I also think it's a very important avenue or vehicle for other young people like Jack who have that innate attraction to mediation and those innate skills to give them that opportunity to become  mediators.

On-screen text: Apply online at www.qld.gov.au/jcscholarship.

Watch
00:01:46

Expand your horizons

Trained mediator John Campbell shares his thoughts on why the scholarship is such a valuable opportunity.

John Campbell, Training Officer, Dispute Resolution Branch: Opportunities like this are quite rare. So, when they are presented, I would encourage anybody to take them on. Especially given what it can do for you.

But I think young people are seeing the benefit of it to them in, not only their professional lives, but also their personal lives. To go through a scholarship program that bears Jack's name and what he stood for, I think, is something that would be tremendously positive and rewarding for young people.

On-screen text: Is it necessary to have a law background to benefit from the scholarship?

John: People come to our training programs from a whole raft of different backgrounds. Some of them are lawyers, but it's not just the domain of legal practitioners who make mediators. Some of the very best mediators that I've worked with, in fact, have no legal background at all.

On-screen text: Apply online at www.qld.gov.au/jcscholarship.

Watch
00:01:10
Last updated:
22 September 2025