MARK DREYFUS
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
MORRISON GOVERNMENT VOTES TO ABOLISH THE FAMILY COURT
The fate of thousands of vulnerable children and families now rests with the Senate after the House voted by the narrowest of margins to endorse the Morrison Government’s radical proposal to effectively abolish the Family Court.
Just a single Government backbencher spoke in support of this Bill. Had just a single Government Member crossed the floor, the destructive and damaging move, which will put Australian families at greater risk in their time of greatest need, would have been defeated.
The existence of a stand-alone specialist Family Court is crucial to the well-being of many thousands of Australians, especially young children.
It is too important an institution to be dealt with in such a disdainful manner by this arrogant government.
The Government decision to press ahead with the abolition of the Family Court flies in the face of evidence from more than 110 stakeholders who work in the family law system who all opposed the proposal.
As the Law Council of Australia warned “The merger bill was developed without consultation with court users, most judges or key stakeholders. By collapsing the present world-acclaimed stand-alone specialist Family Court into a generalist court, the merger will in effect abolish the Family Court as we know it and harm vulnerable children and families in need of specialist family law assistance.”
Labor acknowledges there are significant problems with the current family law system, which have led to unacceptable delays for vulnerable families and – particularly – children.
There are many factors that have contributed to this current state of affairs. They include the Liberal Government’s failure over the past seven years to appoint judges in a timely manner, the Government’s abject failure to increase funding for court-related and legal assistance services in line with ever-increasing demand, and inefficiencies in the family law system.
None of these problems will be dealt with by the reckless and ill-informed plan to collapse the Family Court of Australia, coming from the same ministers in the same government that designed and then proudly boasted about catastrophe that was Robodebt.
It is now up to the Senate to reject the Morrison Government’s radical and harmful plan, and stand up for vulnerable families and children by voting to retain a stand-alone specialist Family Court
TUESDAY, 1 DECEMBER 2020
