Family Court - the judges

Relationship breakdowns can be traumatic, but it gets worse when children are involved and couples have to navigate the Family Court.

A backlog of 20,000 cases; a five-year wait to even be heard; and warring parents who each spend roughly the equivalent of a home deposit on lawyers.

Tonight – two fed-up judges speak out about a broken system.

Statement from Attorney-General Christian Porter

The fundamental problem is the well-recognised fact that Australia has two courts dealing with family law in Australia with two sets of rules forms and procedures.  This split system has been described by experts and lawyers as a failed experiment. Families don’t know where to go and get shuttled between courts and the split system causes confusion, delay and unnecessary legal costs for ordinary Australian families.

Resourcing and funding levels are continually monitored but just putting more resources into a failed structure that needs fundamental structural reform won’t work. That’s why the Government is committed to structural reform to help Australian families before considering resources for the new, improved structure.