The Greens are said to have secured agreement on holding off on the Government’s family law inquiry until it can be shown that safeguards are in place for women giving evidence.
Women’s Agenda reports:
“The Greens have reached across party lines and the Australian Senate has agreed the inquiry should not proceed until the government can guarantee strong protections for witnesses.
“This would include the ability for giving evidence in confidence or remotely, ensuring safe access to hearing venues, and strict media protocols. It would also mean support for survivors of violence, including funding specialist services to meet increased demand resulting from this inquiry.”
The Government recently announced it would be holding another inquiry into family law despite already having reports from previous inquiries and investigations. The new inquiry is supposed to “…examine issues including the onus of proof required to gain an apprehended violence order, the cost of the court process and claims of false evidence being used against a former partner”.
The inquiry has been panned by services who work with victims of family violence, as well as by just about everyone else and over 70,000 Australians signed a petition calling for Pauline Hanson to be removed from the family law inquiry.
Many across the community have argued that the inquiry would in fact be dangerous to women and children, but that if it had to proceed, it should be safer and better planned to deal with family violence issues.
Source: Women’s Agenda
If you need help with a family law matter, please contact Canberra family lawyer Cristina Huesch or one of our other experienced solicitors here at Alliance Legal Services on (02) 6223 2400.
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