A proposal to merge the Family Court with the Federal Circuit Court has come under heavy criticism from parliamentarians and the legal profession.The Government wants to merge the Family Court into another court system to make it simpler
"The reason it takes so long to go through the Family Court system is they, like so many other departments, are underfunded," she said. "All you're doing is putting two systems into one, you're losing the specialisation of the Family Court."Attorney-General Christian Porter said the family law system had been "broken" for years.
Assuming the ALP remains opposed to the legislation, the Government will need the support of some of the Senate crossbench in order to pass the bill. "The Family Court was designed purposely as a world-leading, specialist, standalone court to deal only with family law matters, with the support of a dedicated multi-disciplinary team of counsellors and mediators," she said.
Women's Legal Services Australia spokesperson Angela Lynch said her organisation's opposition to the merger was about ensuring the safety and best interests of the child, and the safety of adult victim-survivors of family violence in family law proceedings.
Source: Law Daily Report (lawdailyreport.net)