Although the court decision to separate two siblings in a custody dispute as in the S. Deepa case is not unprecedented, lawyers, including family law practitioners, say it is not encouraged as the family will be torn apart. The lawyers…
Although the court decision to separate two siblings in a custody dispute as in the S. Deepa case is not unprecedented, lawyers, including family law practitioners, say it is not encouraged as the family will be torn apart. The lawyers…
Australia’s family court system is in crisis – it’s time we considered adopting a system used in New Zealand, which could be the answer, writes Jennifer Hetherington. Recent reports of more than 300 pending matters in a backlog at Brisbane with only two…
LAST month marked the 40th anniversary of the commencement of the Family Law Act in Australia. Like many 40-year-olds, family law has matured but is in need of a little care and a freshen-up. Meanwhile, family law courts in Queensland…
Appeal to Supreme Court by non-biological mother against decision that court did not have jurisdiction to deal with application seeking return of child removed to Pakistan. Appeal allowed. Background to the appeal The girl at the centre of this appeal,…
Lawyers in Wollongong have expressed frustration at the appointment of a Federal Circuit Court judge to Queensland as the New South Wales region struggles with unprecedented demand. Attorney General George Brandis this week announced the appointment of a new judge…
On the second-last sitting day before Christmas, Senator John Madigan introduced cabinet secretary and former adviser to John Howard, Senator Arthur Sinodinos, to representatives from a group called the Family Law Reform Coalition. They presented him with a policy proposal…
SHE may now be one of the Federal Circuit Court’s most experienced judges, but it was in Rockhampton where Judge Anne Demack began her legal career. Now she’s returned, and will be based in Rockhampton as the city’s first ever…
Adam Robb* was just five years old when his father showed him a gun while they were talking via a webcam. Now an affectionate, lanky 12-year-old, Adam should be getting excited about starting high school in a few months, like…
CHRISTMAS trees sparkle, carols play their familiar tunes and children tear wrappings from gifts. This is the image so often seen in Christmas movies, on cards and, if we are very lucky, in our own lounge rooms. Sadly, for too…
The family law jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia is at breaking point, according to the legal profession, fuelled by a surge in domestic violence reporting and the ice scourge gripping regional areas. Lawyers in New South Wales…