For separating parents, trying to sort out what time the children will spend with each parent or where they may live is not always easy. The Family Law Act states that the most important consideration when making such a decision is what is in the child’s ‘best interests’. In the event parents can’t agree on… Read More
In response to ongoing complaints from both the community and lawyers about the excessive waiting times, complexity and costs involved with family law matters, the Attorney-General has made an historic announcement that the Australia’s two Family Law Courts are merging. Currently, we have the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, which hears the majority of parenting… Read More
Some exciting news was delivered in late September this year when the Attorney-General of Australia announced that over the next two years, there will be the first ever major review of the Family Law Act and the Family Law system more broadly. This announcement is long overdue and has been welcomed by the legal profession… Read More
In a long overdue announcement, the Federal Government has introduced new proposed laws to protect victims of family violence from being directly questioned by their alleged perpetrator. There has been ongoing criticism of the Family Court system as the current law allows an alleged perpetrator who is representing themselves to directly cross-examine their ex-partner or… Read More
A Family Law property settlement should be fair to both parties and recognise the contributions made by each party, and also each party’s future needs. The Family Law Courts adopt a four-step approach to determining an appropriate property settlement. These four steps are: Identifying the assets and liabilities of the relationship. Assessing the contributions by… Read More