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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. 

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

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.

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.

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.

The purpose of this update is to focus on the benefits of having a tailored case management approach, including the Evatt List. This update also provides answers to a number of frequently asked questions that the Courts have received. Practitioners are encouraged to review the previous update which was released in February 2023 that focuses on risk and includes links to the Lighthouse Webinar, detailing the Evatt List case management pathway.

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.

The purpose of this update is to focus on the key benefits of screening, provide frequently asked questions and answers the Courts have received, and advise where to go for further information, resources and training.

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.

The FCFCOA hosted a successful public launch of the Lighthouse initiative in Sydney on Monday 5 December 2022. A media package can be viewed from the Courts' YouTube channel.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and (Division 2) (the Courts) are pleased to welcome seven judicial appointments announced today by the Attorney-General of the Commonwealth of Australia, the Honourable Mark Dreyfus KC MP.

From January 2023, parties wishing to commence family law proceedings in circuit locations will be able to choose their first return dates before a Judicial Registrar directly on the Commonwealth Courts Portal.