News & Events

A Warning To Any Parties Who Seek To Commence Urgent Applications

In this instance the Father failed to bring his history of criminal offences and family violence to the Court’s attention. He also claimed that the Mothers phone had been disconnected. The court relied on the Father’s evidence and made an Order for the urgent recovery of the children. The children were forcibly removed from their… Read More

Separation and Divorce Are Not The Same Thing

Australia has a system of “no fault divorce”, which means that the Court does not consider the reasons behind the breakdown of a marriage, only the fact that the marriage has broken down irretrievably. To apply for a divorce in Australia you must be separated from your spouse for a period of at least 12… Read More

Pets – People or Property?

It is not uncommon for people to refer to their pets (sometimes called ‘fur-babies’) as children. Many couples, especially those without children, view themselves as their pets’ parents. In many ways this is logical… similarly to children, pets require care and supervision – we send them off to puppy pre-school and pet-sitters. It may then… Read More

MODERN FAMILY- Who is a Parent?

In today’s society the concept of ‘nuclear family’ is almost foreign; in fact most families are closer to that depicted in the popular sitcom ‘Modern Family’. This has caused the law to adapt to cases outside the traditional family. In a recent case Justice Dessau stated: ‘This Court deals with a full spectrum of families:… Read More