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The Parliament has today passed two significant pieces of legislation to make Australia’s family law system simpler, safer and more accessible for separating families and their children.

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 Standing Council of Attorneys-General today endorsed the National Principles to Address Coercive Control in Family and Domestic Violence and agreed to their public release.

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 (FCFCOA) secures temporary court facilities at the Supreme Court of Tasmania in Burnie.

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. 

Statement from the FCFCOA (Div 1 and Div 2) in response to ABC Report – False Witness

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (‘the Court’) acknowledges the challenges for litigants in North West Tasmania as a result of the absence of suitable premises to conduct the Burnie circuit. The Court is doing all it can to work with the local, state and Commonwealth governments to solve this issue and is thankful for the assistance it has received to date, including from the state Attorney-General and the Department of Justice. All parties are working hard to find a solution for the litigants of North West Tasmania.

The internationally respected Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) has selected Lighthouse as this year’s recipient of the Irwin Cantor Innovative Program Award. The award was presented at a ceremony held in Los Angeles, USA on 31 May 2023.

As part of the 2023-24 Federal Government Budget released last night, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) (the Courts) have been provided funding for two key measures: the national expansion of the highly successful pilot dealing with financial disputes between parents with smaller amounts of assets of under $500,000 (known as the Priority Property Pools under $500,000 or PPP500), and; to employ mediators and Court Child Experts to provide dispute resolution services for Hague Child Abduction Convention cases.

On Monday 3 April 2023, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1 and Division 2) will host an event to officially open new court facilities in Launceston.

At the Australian Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Awards held on Friday 31 March 2023, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1 and Division 2) received national recognition for the Courts’ innovative and ground-breaking integration of safe dispute resolution into the family law system, winning the Courts and Tribunals - Alternative Dispute Resolution Group of the Year.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia - Division 2 (the Court), is pleased to announce the commencement of a Specialist Indigenous List (SIL) operating from Lismore registry in NSW.  A welcome ceremony involving key local Indigenous legal support services was hosted by the Court in Lismore today to mark the commencement of the List and expansion of local support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who are involved in family law proceedings.

Two senior New Zealand Family Court judges and representatives from the New Zealand Ministry of Justice are visiting the Federal Circuit and family Court of Australia this week, to share ideas and discuss initiatives that address issues of family violence, risk screening and safety measures in family law cases.