By Gianna Huesch
An e-newsletter has been launched by the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) as part of its public consultation process for its review of the family law system. The family law review, led by Melbourne Law School’s Professor Helen Rhoades, was announced earlier this year and is now at the preliminary stage of initial research and consultations.
In the first issue of the new newsletter regarding the review, Professor Rhoades discusses how family life in Australia has significantly changed since the introduction of the Family Law Act 1975, with far greater diversity in the nature of what constitutes a ‘family’. More than a quarter of Australian families now exist which do not fit the traditional ‘nuclear’ model with two biological parents, and instead are within the categories of unmarried and single parent families, step-families, blended families, rainbow families and kinship care arrangements. How families are created has also greatly changed, with more people becoming parents through assisted reproductive technologies and surrogacy.
The terms of reference for the family law review have “asked the ALRC to explore the need for reform in the processes for resolving disputes about the care of children and the division of property, the law governing their resolution, the professional practices and services needed to support families, and questions of cost, accessibility and trust”, writes Professor Rhoades.
You can read the first issue of the ALRC newsletter here: https://www.alrc.gov.au/news-media/family-law-system-issue1
Source: http://www.psnews.com.au/aps/575/news/family-law-review-on-for-young-and-old
Do you need assistance with a family law matter? Please contact Canberra family lawyer Cristina Huesch or one of our other experienced solicitors here at Alliance Family Law on (02) 6223 2400.
Please note our blogs are not legal advice. For information on how to obtain the correct legal advice, please contact Alliance.
