Lighthouse and the associated bespoke case management for high risk matters focuses on the safety of children and their families by identifying and addressing issues of family violence and other risks.
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 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
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 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.
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 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.
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.
The Courts acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders, past, present and emerging.
