The Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) report Family Law for the Future: An Inquiry into the Family Law System was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, 10th April. The ALRC has made 60 recommendations for reform under seven categories, including: Closing the jurisdictional gap – Stop children falling through the gaps and return family law disputes to states and territories, eventually abolishing federal family courts; Children’s orders – Simplify the factors to be considered when determining living arrangements that promote a child’s best interests and remove mandatory consideration of particular living arrangements; Stricter case management – Clearer consequences for couples and their advisors if they don’t seek to resolve disputes as quickly, inexpensively, and efficiently as possible; Compliance with children’s orders – Improve understanding of orders through greater engagement with family consultants and place limits on interim appeals; Simpler property division – Include a starting position that separated couples made equal contributions during the relationship; Encourage amicable dispute resolution – Increase the proportion of family law matters that are dealt with through alternatives such as FDR (Family Dispute Resolution) and LADR (Legally Assisted Dispute Resolution); and Legislative simplification – Redraft the Family Law Act to make it easier to understand the law. Access the Report for more details.
