MARK DREYFUS MP

This week, a coalition of human rights organisations issued an open letter calling for a response from the Federal Government to respond to the ALRC's Pathways to Justice report.

The government has once again thumbed its nose at the democratic will of the Senate, ignoring its demands for greater consultation on changes to the family court system.

The Abbott/Turnbull/Morrison Government has failed to act on fighting commercial whaling by sending a junior Minister to the International Whaling Commission (IWC).

Time is running out for the government to confirm additional funding for Legal Aid to accompany cross-examination reforms that are due to be put to the House of Representatives for a vote later this morning.

The government's attempt to ram its family court bills through the Parliament with inadequate consultation has been stymied not by Labor, but by the rules of the Senate.

Late on Thursday night, under the cover of leadership chaos, government members of the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee did an astonishing thing - they voted to overrule the democratic will of the Senate.

Labor welcomes the landmark Justice Report published by the Law Council today.

Labor welcomes the government's belated release of a key consultants report relevant to its planned restructure of the Family Court, after repeated requests from Labor and stakeholders.

In an extraordinary report tabled today, the Governments own Senators have joined Labor in calling for a guarantee of additional funding for Legal Aid before a bill to ban the direct cross-examination of domestic violence survivors is passed through Parliament.

Labor welcomes the governments belated announcement that it will introduce legislation to prevent domestic violence victims from being cross-examined by their abusers.