The Law Council of Australia will carefully consider recommendations by the Australian Law Reform Commission’s (ALRC) Family Law for the Future – An Inquiry into the Family Law System report but warned immediate solutions are required to ease pressures on the…
National family court should be scrapped and powers given to states, according to review of the system
Control over the family law system should be given to the states and territories, rather than the Commonwealth, under a radical proposal from the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC). The sector is widely regarded as painstakingly slow and prohibitively costly,…
Federal Circuit Court judges elevated to Family Court
Judge Jillian Williams and Judge Louise Henderson have both been appointed to the Family Court of Australia, moving away from their current positions as judges of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. Judge Williams has been assigned to the Melbourne…
Child rapist wants kids to visit him in prison
A VIOLENT child rapist serving 16 years in jail and a domestic violence perpetrator locked up in immigration detention want the Family Court to order their children to visit them behind bars. While the cases are not related, they are…
Parenting arrangements after a FIFO marriage breakup
FIFO is a way of life for many West Australian families, but it can take its toll on relationships. Physical distance between couples, the added responsibility on one partner who often has to assume the role of a single parent…
Why do NZ women fleeing domestic violence face ‘abduction’ charges in Australia?
The Hague Convention on child abduction was drafted to deal with fathers abducting their children across borders after losing custody, but it’s applied mainly to mothers fleeing domestic violence, writes Gina Masterton. Fiona (not her real name) came to Australia from…
High Court rules against ATO, finding tax debts can be shifted between spouses
A recent High Court case has found that a tax debt of one spouse can be shifted to another during a divorce property settlement, which lawyers say is unprecedented and could leave the richer spouse with the debts of their…
Fleeing family violence to another country and taking your child is not ‘abduction’, but that’s how the law sees it
Fiona (not her real name) came to Australia from New Zealand as a 19-year-old backpacker. Here, she met a man, got married and had two boys. The domestic violence began after her first son’s birth, and Fiona endured it for…
Lawyers pan radical Family Court changes
The peak body for Australian legal professions has lambasted a proposed shake-up of the country’s family courts, warning the restructure could make a system that is already in crisis even worse. The federal government intends to merge the Family and…
Doctor accused of financing child abductions says crimes were covered up
Grafton man and three others accused of helping mothers hide their children in violation of court orders A New South Wales doctor accused of financing an abduction ring that helped mothers take and hide their children in violation of…