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This update provides important information about Applications for Review filed after 24 November 2023 in family law.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1 and Division 2) (the Courts) are committed to providing safe, fair, efficient and relevant access to justice for all Australians.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (the Court) officially commenced the national expansion of its case management process known as the Priority Property Pool (PPP) which provides a simplified way of resolving property disputes and aims to minimise risk, legal costs, and to preserve the parties’ assets

Update 2 on the expansion of Priority Property Pool Cases including a flow chart which summarises how Initiating Applications seeking financial orders will be considered by the Court from the point of filing.

As a result of the sustained success of the highly successful Priority Property Pool under $500,000 Pilot (PPP500), the Courts have received funding from the Commonwealth Government to expand the initiative to all filing registries. The criteria for inclusion as a PPP Case has also been expanded to afford a greater number of parties access to this case management model from 30 October 2023.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (the Courts) have today launched the Court Dog Program. Thanks to the support and generosity of the Victorian Bar and the Victorian Bar Foundation, Therapy Dog Poppy, a fully trained court facility dog from Guide Dogs Victoria, will commence full time work with the Courts from the 4th of October by assisting litigants and children who are involved in family law proceedings in the Courts' Melbourne registry.

The Courts continue to see a high uptake in parties completing the risk screen, with 50% of parties completing the risk screen within 48 hours of receiving the invitation to do so. This impressive response rate means that the Courts’ specialised Lighthouse team are able to provide early service information and support after the filing of a party’s Initiating Application or Response.

This week the Courts have published the updated Family Violence Plan and Family Violence Best Practice Principles.
Both documents have been updated on the advice of the Courts’ Family Violence Committee. They set out the Courts’ commitment to identifying and managing family violence, the actions the Courts will take, and practical guidance to assist court users, legal practitioners and other stakeholders to understand how family violence is managed by the Courts.
The Family Violence Plan refines and updates the last plan issued in 2019. The Best Practice Principles are the 5th iteration, having first been published in 2009.

Today, the Courts officially launched three animated short films that will help educate the public about: What is family violence in family law cases?, How is the voice of the child heard? and How does the court process work for parenting cases?
The Courts’ new films build on the existing online resources developed by the Courts in 2021 which focused on how to ‘separate smarter’.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and (Division 2) (the Courts) enthusiastically welcome Ms Hayley Foster to continue the Courts’ progressive work in risk identification and providing better support to separating families who have been impacted by family violence.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) are pleased to advise that in response to feedback from the profession, and as part of the Courts’ commitment to modernising court processes, we are introducing eFiling for family law 'Requests to issue a subpoena'. Initially, eFiling will only be available for subpoenas seeking the production of documents where there is an ongoing family law final orders application.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) secures temporary court facilities at the Supreme Court of Tasmania in Burnie.

Fair work small claims jurisdiction change, Fee changes, Form updates

The expansion of Lighthouse supports the Courts’ priorities to shine a light on the scourge of family violence, to improve the outcome of matters involving family violence and other risks, and to keep children and vulnerable parties safe. It has been six months since the commencement of Lighthouse and the Evatt List nationally and the Courts acknowledge the positive response from the profession and parties in supporting the Courts’ aim to provide better-informed and safe outcomes for families involved in family law proceedings.

More than 80 Judges from the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia have travelled to Alice Springs in the Northern Territory to meet with, listen and learn from Aboriginal families.