Family Law Amendment Bill 2023
Among the major changes to the Family Law Act 1975:
- amended parenting order framework by refining the list of ‘best interests’ factors
- the removal of the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility and related equal time
- requiring Independent Children’s Lawyers to meet directly with children
- greater powers to protect parties and children from harmful effects of protracted and adversarial litigation
- a definition of ‘member of the family’ in the Family Law Act that is inclusive of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander concepts of family and kinship
- simplified compliance and enforcement provisions for child-related orders
- powers to enable government to regulate family report writers, and
- ensuring that children’s voices are heard more easily in matters under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.
Family Law (Information Sharing) Bill 2023
The Bill:
- establishes two new information sharing orders to allow courts to directly and quickly seek information from police, child protection and firearms agencies about family violence, child abuse and neglect that could place children at risk
- allows a court to make these orders at any point during proceedings so information is accurate and up-to-date, and
- will ensure sensitive information is only disclosed in a safe and appropriate manner.
The Bills have yet to receive Royal Assent.
An exposure draft of a second Family Law Bill has already been released for consultation.
The preliminary exposure draft of the second Family Law Bill is available HERE.
