ACT Leader Richard Prebble and Wellington Central MP Richard Prebble said demonstrations by father's groups in Wellington and Porirua today and Friday indicated a need for a look at whether changes needed to be made in family law.

"The family is the cornerstone of our society, and fathers have an important role to play. We are seeing the devastating effects of fatherless families in our social welfare and crime statistics. If our family law is preventing fathers from having contact with their children, then we need to look at the situation."

Mr Prebble said he had received complaints about one parent being able to gain a non-violence order without the court hearing from the other party, the low threshold for testing of evidence in the Family Court, difficulties experienced by custodial parents in receiving support payments from liable parents, and difficulties experienced by non-custodial parents in gaining access to their children. He said the increasing amount of legal aid spent on family court cases was also of concern.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>