Don’t Let Children and Families Be Disadvantaged
STOP Judith Collins Making Harmful Changes To The Family Court

On 27 November 2012, the National Government introduced the Family Court Proceedings Reform Bill to Parliament. It
has been referred to the Justice and Electoral Committee for public submissions.

The Bill makes significant changes to proceedings involving the care of children (applications for day to day care/contact with a child and guardianship). It this controversial Bill is passed:

• It will be mandatory for people to use the Family Dispute Resolution Service (FDR) with fees of over $1,000. If people cannot afford these fees their case cannot be heard by a Family Court judge.

• People will have limited rights to have lawyers act for them. Legal aid will not be available to parties in FDR. People will have to complete their own court documents and represent themselves. Many people will not be able to do this for a variety of reasons, including stress, intimidation, language barriers, health, or confidence issues.

• Lawyer for children appointments will be limited. If drug/alcohol problems, child abuse or family violence are not raised during FDR, it will be unlikely the Court will appoint a lawyer to act for the child. Children’s concerns will be overlooked and they will be vulnerable.

These changes will harm the very people that need the help of the Family Court most. If the Family Court is not accessible, people will take matters into their own hands. This will lead to other social issues – domestic violence, child abuse, etc.

Women’s groups, lawyers and academics have been campaigning throughout the country to raise awareness of these issues. A dedicated website and an online petition has been created at www.childrenneedavoice.com. The deadline for people to make written submissions to Parliament is 13 February 2013.

ENDS

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