Young business partners making handshake

Update – What is happening to Our Family Court?

Recently, the Federal Government proposed to do away with the Family Court as a standalone court. The proposal involved merging the specialist Family Court of Australia with the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.

In response to the proposal, a coalition of more than 60 legal organisations, including the Law Council, Women’s Legal Services Australia, Community Legal Centres Australia, and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service have urged the Federal Government to reconsider the proposal, on the basis that the proposed court merger could place children and adult victims of family violence at significant risk and/or at greater risk. One of the primary objections to the merger is that the safety of children and adult victims of family violence require a specialist forum to deal with family law matters involving family violence and this forum is the Family Court of Australia.

The Australian Law Reform Commission Report released in April 2019, confirmed that the majority of family law cases now involve allegations of family violence, child abuse and other risk factors. Under the proposed plan to merge the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court, the Attorney General maintains his position that the merger would not result in a loss of specialisation. Prior to the election this year, there was an attempt to have a bill passed for the merger, however, the bill did not receive sufficient support and accordingly was not passed. It is anticipated that the bill may be reintroduced into Parliament before the end of the year.

It is unclear what the fate of the Family Court will be, so we suggest you watch this space.

If you have any legal issues involving family law, then please do not hesitate to contact one of Coleman Greig’s Accredited Family Law Specialists today.

Share:

Send an enquiry

Any personal information you provide is collected pursuant to our Privacy Policy.

Categories
Archives
Author

More posts

Security of personal information

Part 3 of a four-part series on your business’ responsibilities related to cyber attacks and data breaches where Special Counsel, John Bennett provides an overview of some court decisions and proceedings where ‘security’ of personal information has come into issue.

Parental alienation in Family Law

The concept, Parental Alienation Syndrome, was initially brought about by American psychiatrist Richard Gardner in 1985. The term parental alienation is used to describe a situation where one parent is involved in psychologically manipulating their child to turn against the other parent.

Are you liable for labour hire workers if they are injured?

Many employers (host employers) engage employees of labour hire companies, particularly in the building and construction, hospitality and manufacturing industries. However, what happens when one of these employees gets injured at the host employer’s work site? Who is liable for the injuries?

The risks with cyber attacks and data breaches

Part 1 of a four-part series on your business’ responsibilities related to cyber attacks and data breaches. Cyber attacks and data breaches are the top business risk in Australia according to Aon’s 2023 Global Risk Management Survey.

Help! My builder won’t finish the job – what do I do?

It’s normal for building projects to experience setbacks during construction.  However, in extreme cases your builder may suspend works and leave the site or disappear without explanation. This article will explain your available options if your builder won’t return to the site, and how to avoid the common pitfalls which may affect your rights against your builder.

Is your intellectual property secure?

Securing intellectual property (IP) is critical in today’s competitive and increasingly digital landscape. From innovative startups to established enterprises, big or small, safeguarding your business’ intellectual assets can help ensure sustained competitiveness, legal protection and set you up to capitalise on your unique creations.

Out with the old (section 260) and in with the new (Part IVA)

Part IVA overcomes deficiencies of section 260 of the Income Tax Assessment Act (ITAA), exposed by judicial decisions. Part IVA was introduced, albeit with limitations on scope, to provide an appropriate balance between combatting tax avoidance without discouraging commercial and familial transactions.

© 2024 Coleman Greig Lawyers  |  Sitemap  |  Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation. ABN 73 125 176 230