Report

Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Bill 2018, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2018

14 February 2019

© Commonwealth of Australia 2019
ISBN 978-1-76010-908-0

View the report as a single document - (PDF 619KB)

Labor Party senator's dissenting report - (PDF 65KB)

View the report as separate downloadable parts:

Members of the committee (PDF 25KB)
Recommendations (PDF 8KB)
Chapter 1 - Introduction (PDF 125KB)
Conduct of this inquiry
Structure of this report
Purpose of the bills
The current family court system
Family Court of Australia
Key provisions of the FCFC bill
Key provisions of the Consequential Amendments bill
Scrutiny of Bills Committee
Financial impact
Chapter 2 (PDF 70KB)
The need for reform
Semple review
PricewaterhouseCoopers report
Australian Law Reform Commission review
Chapter 3 - Key Issues (PDF 311KB)
Achieving the bill's stated purpose
Diagram 1: Proposed single entry point and case management system[14]
Appellate jurisdiction in the Federal Court of Australia
Judicial expertise
Potential impact on vulnerable groups
Application of the bill to the Western Australian jurisdiction
Other issues
Committee view and recommendations
Labor Senators' Interim Dissenting Report (PDF 15KB)
Additional Comments by Senator Rex Patrick (PDF 0KB)
The work of the Committee
A Bad Starting Point
A Committee Working at its Best
Resourcing
Appendix 1 - Submissions, additional information, answers to questions on notice and tabled documents (PDF 12KB)

Submissions
Additional Information
Answers to questions on notice
Tabled documents
Appendix 2 - Public hearings (PDF 15KB)

Committee Secretariat contact:

Committee Secretary
Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600

Phone: +61 2 6277 3560
legcon.sen@aph.gov.au

About this inquiry

The bills would bring the Federal Circuit Court of Australia and the Family Court of Australia together into an overarching, unified administrative structure to be known as the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, and make consequential amendments.



Past Public Hearings

14 Dec 2018: Townsville
13 Dec 2018: Brisbane
12 Dec 2018: Sydney

more...