Family Law

The Family Law Act defines family violence as behaviour by a person that “coerces or controls a member of the person’s family” or “causes the family member to be fearful.”…

Christmas time and the summer holidays should be the one happiest times of the year, particularly for children, but for families where parents have separated or divorced and now live…

On 29 November 2024 the Family Law Amendment Bill 2024 [the ‘Bill’] passed through the Australian Senate. The amendments commence on 29 May 2025. For those navigating a separation or…

On 29 November 2024 the Family Law Amendment Bill 2024 [the ‘Bill’] passed through the Australian Senate. The amendments commence on 29 May 2025. For those navigating a separation or…

For separated and divorced parents, what should be the happiest time of the year is often the saddest. Whether it is a new circumstance or has been the case for…

Patterns of coercive control can have devastating impacts on individuals and families. Public concern about coercive control, as an underlying dynamic of domestic and family violence, has gained traction in…

Section 79 of the Family Law Act 1975 (“the Act”) empowers the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (“FCFCOA”) to make orders altering property interests between parties following the…

In Australian Family Law, the decision by one party to end proceedings is a significant legal step, with implications for all parties involved. More commonly referred to as ‘discontinuance’, the…

One of the common problems facing ex-partners, who approach the Court to decide a property settlement after their relationship has ended, is the expense involved in taking legal action. Even…

In March 2020, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) introduced the ‘Priority Property Pools under $500,000’ (PPP500) Pilot – a program funded by the Australian Government designed…

Australia’s Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) is  acknowledged as one of the nation’s busiest judicial bodies. For this reason, the careful management of workflow and cases is…

Disclosure is an important part of legal proceedings, requiring each party to the legal action to provide information relevant to the dispute to each other. In family law proceedings disclosure…

In the sad but unfortunately common situation of a family break-up, one parent may wish to change the surname of a child or children from the relationship. There can be…

As the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated, vaccination can be a fraught and divisive issue in society, particularly when people are compelled to get inoculated by public health laws, but have objections…

In this post we will look at the issues involved in applying for a passport for a child in situations where the parents have separated, for single parents and for…

There can be few more difficult situations than when a relationship breaks down and the parties decide to live in different countries, particularly where there are children involved. Due to…

Under Australia’s Family Law Act 1975, deciding parenting issues, including where the children will live, are governed by the paramount principle of the ‘best interests’ of the child.  Primary considerations…

Handheld devices that allow all of us to record good quality video and audio have revolutionised many areas of life, including the law. These days many people involved in Family…

When a married or de-facto couple separates, there are many difficult issues to work out before they can move on with their respective lives. In situations where one partner was…

Shared parenting and ensuring children have the opportunity to spend time with both parents after separation can be difficult, especially in situations where supervision of a parent during that time…