In Australia 1 in 6 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced physical or sexual violence from a current or previous partner. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, every 9 days a woman is killed and … Read More
Should I be concerned about having to go to Court to finalise parenting arrangements? There is significant misinformation in mainstream media about “the family law system” and what happens if people end up in court – especially with the backdrop … Read More
The Federal Government has recently announced the allocation of $3.5m to fund further research about projects aimed to reduce violence against women and their children. The funding come from Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS) 2014 – 2016 … Read More
The Federal Circuit Court of Australia has recently announced a number of changes to their Rules. Of particular interest to family lawyers are the following: 1. Amendment to the Rules to make it explicit that the Court can make Orders … Read More
I had the good fortune to attend the 16th National Family Law Conference in Sydney in early October. The Conference is held every two years and provides an opportunity for assessment of the challenges facing practitioners working in family law … Read More
While in Sydney attending the 16th National Family Law Conference I was buoyed by the continuing enthusiasm and commitment of family law practitioners, Judges and social scientists working in this demanding field. More than 940 people are attending the Conference … Read More
Last month the Family Law section of the Law Council released its comprehensive report about a range of issues relating to parentage under the Family Law Act. The report of the Family Law Council was released on 14 August 2014 … Read More
In parenting cases where Orders have been made about the time children spend with a parent (or other person), great care needs to be taken in drafting the Orders to ensure that each party understands what they are agreeing to. … Read More
More women graduate from Australian Law Schools than men and yet we still have fewer women represented in the upper echelons of legal firms, at the Bar and in the Judiciary. And, according to a senior NSW Judge, this may … Read More
Balancing the demands of working life and raising a family is one of the constant challenges for those trying to do both. New Canadian research published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology and reported in The Telegraph on Sunday, … Read More
In the Sun Herald on Sunday, 9 February 2014, there was yet another article which warned of the risks for people contemplating entering a Financial Agreement before marriage (or a “pre-nup” as they are commonly known). Cosima Marriner spoke to … Read More
Sometimes I meet a person who happily tells me that they have “sorted” their property settlement with their ex, informally, “just between us”. No paperwork, no orders, no lawyers. “We just did what we agreed”. That might sound pretty good … Read More
On 25 July 2013, Prue Cameron of The Australia Institute published a report titled “What’s Choice Got To Do With It?” tackling the reasons why Australian women retire with significantly less superannuation resources than their male counterparts. According to the research, … Read More
Interviews by Family Court Judges are not common and understandably, due to the nature of the job and in no small part. They work in a field where public policy and legislation exist specifically to protect the identification of those … Read More
Chair of the Family Law Council of Australia, Mr Rick O’Brien recently announced a national audit of family violence training to identify best practice. The Law Council’s Family Law Section has undertaken a range of training and practice development initiatives over … Read More
On June 20 this year, legislation to assist Federal Courts and tribunals in the management of their security was passed in Parliament. The Attorney-General, Mark Dreyfus QC described the new laws as clarifying and enhancing the powers available to security personnel … Read More
Rupert Murdoch’s power and influence will forever mean that his life and the happenings within his family are always in the media spotlight. Unfortunately for Murdoch, the last several weeks has seen both newspapers and blogs run with the story … Read More
In a continuing focus on matters relating to access to justice and the legal system, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus QC and Assistant Treasurer, David Bradbury, announced on 20 June 2013 that the Productivity Commission would undertake a review of how to … Read More
In May earlier this year, the Canberra Times published an article that stated nearly 1200 pre-eminent social researchers, Academics and feminists were reported to have signed a petition, calling upon the Government to reverse funding cuts to the Australian Bureau … Read More
Over the last several weeks, a New South Wales’ daily newspaper has pursued a campaign to influence policy change relating to the compulsory immunisation of children attending day care and school facilities. It is known as the No Jab. No … Read More
New laws relating to children’s passports may affect separated parents who want to travel overseas with their child. Dobinson Davey Clifford Simpson here highlights some of the issues.