In a context of a short-term relationship between the parents, how should custody of a child be assessed and how should the “best interest of a child” be defined and applied in this specific context? For a child’s well being, isn’t it necessary for a child to be able to build relationship to both his/her parents? ..

This article details how Family Tax Benefit payments are allocated to each parent when the custody of the children is shared between them…

On May 13th 2014, the Abbott Government released its proposed budget for 2014-2015. The budget has yet to pass the Australian Parliament and it is in doubt whether many of the proposed reforms will pass the Australian Senate. Outlined below are some of the effects the proposed budget will have on separated families if passed in its current form…

There are a few major agencies that influence on reforming the law, these are the Law Reform Commissions, the Parliament and its Committees, the media, and the non-government organisations…

The vast majority of child abductions are not carried out by total strangers, but by the child’s own parent or close relative. This article will detail the resources available to a parent whose child has been abducted by someone both they and the child know…

Divorce itself can of course be an emotionally exacting process for the parties concerned. However after the event itself, the tax implications of a divorce could create even more emotional trauma. Hence, in part 2 of this series of articles I will focus on the tax implications of a divorce settlement…

There is an understandable misconception in Australian law that child maintenance ends when the child legally becomes an adult, that is, at 18 years of age – however this is not entirely true for all scenarios…

It is clear that the Family Law Act has evolved since its creation in 1975. This can be explained by the constant change and wide variety of family structures. No family is the same and no family is perfect. There will always be a difficulty to provide a single concept of law and apply it universally. However, there has been a gradual movement towards equality for all family units, regardless of its composition…

Whilst Legal Aid and Community Legal Centres aim to provide financial assistance to those suffering legal hardship, their limited funding means that too often families are faced with the heavy burden of extensive legal costs. Such legal costs are for the most part unavoidable but there are several avenues available for clients to dispute hefty and overzealous legal costs…

The Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Act 2011 came into effect in July 2012 in response to recommendations in three key reports evaluating the previous 2006 changes…