Australia's recent development in arbitral law and infrastructure (see Legal update, Australia advances arbitral law reform) may not be over yet. In a recent speech, the Chief Justice of Victoria, The Hon. Marilyn Warren AC, while discussing the Singaporean Maxwell Chambers and the Australian International Disputes Centre in Sydney, indicated her support for a similar centre in Victoria (presumably in Melbourne).

The Chief Justice commented that it was important for the Victorian Bar and the legal profession to encourage the state government to understand the significant opportunity for contribution to the Victorian economy that commercial arbitration could provide. She further emphasised the importance of having an Australian grid of commercial arbitration facilities ready to serve domestic and international arbitration.

The Chief Justice went on to indicate that she was speaking to the Australian government about the opportunities that await Victoria, which she said is now recognised as one of the country's strongest performing state economies, with regard to arbitration.

The amendments to the domestic arbitration law (see Legal update, Australia to get new domestic arbitration legislation) have now come into force in New South Wales but are not in force in Victoria (and indeed have not yet been presented in Parliament as a Bill).