News & Insights

The 2023-24 Federal Budget has been handed down with several key announcements impacting the Federal Circuit and Family Law Court of Australia as well as Australians who will need to access family law services.

The Albanese Government announced an investment of $46.5 million to expand programs in the Federal Circuit and Family Law Court of Australia to further the family law reform agenda to assist parties to resolve their disputes in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The funds pledged aim to improve processes for:

• family law property settlements;
• dispute resolution services;
• international child-abduction matters; and
• family and domestic violence support.

Property settlements

$33.1 million is being invested for the roll-out of the ‘PPP500’ small claim property settlement to all family law registries nationally.

What is the ‘PPP500?

The ‘PPP500’ program facilitates separating couples with small property pools to achieve settlement outcomes in a quicker, cheaper, and simpler manner. The streamlined process aims to support vulnerable parties with limited resources to regain financial independence and security following separation.

Dispute resolution services

$13.4 million is being invested to extend the use of lawyer-led dispute resolution services in the court, including the use of Court Child Experts in parenting disputes. Dispute resolution services are highly effective in assisting parties to resolve their cases, getting them out of the court system quicker and with less cost. The expansion of the provision of dispute resolution services in court will also free up the court’s pathway, enabling more cases to be heard more quickly.

International child abduction

$18.4 million is being invested to enhance Australia’s implementation of the Hague Convention to make it safer for parties and children impacted by international child abduction.

The investment includes:

• $7.4m to provide for the introduction of a financial assistance scheme to enable access to legal representation (particularly to eligible respondents, where an applicant is generally represented by the Government);
• $5.7m to improve the Attorney-General’s Department ability to obtain and provide evidence about family violence to the Court in Hague Convention cases; and
• $5.3m for early dispute resolution intervention measures.

Family violence

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia will continue its implementation of the Lighthouse model nationally.

What is the Lighthouse model?

The model aims to appropriately respond to family violence and other risks through early identification and by providing additional support to vulnerable parties. The model is primarily run by a team of specialist Judges, registrars and support staff. The court’s resources are allocated for a streamlined process with urgency afforded to improve the safety of vulnerable parties.

Support for First Nations women and children

An investment of almost $590 million was announced to further the National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children. $194 million has been dedicated to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island Action Plan and $68.6 million pledged to expand the legal and non-legal family violence support for First Nations women and children.

If you would like to have a confidential chat about the Federal Budget and what the Government’s investment will mean for you, please reach out to our friendly Family Law team. Our team specialises in all aspects of Family Law and approaches every matter with patience and empathy.

The information contained in this article is general in nature and cannot be relied on as legal advice nor does it create an engagement. Please contact one of our lawyers listed above for advice about your specific situation.