Chapter 1 - Introduction and background

[1]        Senate Standing Committee for the Selection of Bills, Report No. 15 of 2017, 7 December 2017, Appendix 8.

[2]        Senator the Hon James McGrath, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister, Senate Hansard, 6 December 2017, p. 9913.

[3]        Explanatory Memorandum, p. 1.

[4]        Explanatory Memorandum, p. 1.

[5]        Submission 26, p. 2. This review is discussed at greater length in chapter 2 of this report.

[6]        Explanatory Memorandum, p. 2.

[7]        Explanatory Memorandum, p. 2.

[8]        Explanatory Memorandum, p. 1.

[9]        Explanatory Memorandum, p. 2

[10]      Explanatory Memorandum, p. 2.

[11]      Explanatory Memorandum, pp. 2–3.

[12]      Explanatory Memorandum, p. 2

[13]      Explanatory Memorandum, p. 93.

[14]      Proposed subsection 11JG.

[15]      Proposed section 11LD.

[16]      Explanatory Memorandum, p. 6.

[17]      Submission 26, p. 6.

[18]      Proposed subsection 11NB(2).

[19]      Noting, in particular, its consistency with 60B of the Family Law Act. Explanatory Memorandum, p. 37.

[20]      Proposed subsection 11SB(3).

[21]      Proposed subsection  11VA(2).

[22]      Ms Ashleigh Saint, Assistant Secretary, Attorney-General's Department, Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, p. 44.

[23]      Explanatory Memorandum, p. 4.

[24]      Explanatory Memorandum, p. 29.

[25]      Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills, Scrutiny Digest 1 of 2018, 7 February 2018, p. 59.

[26]      Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills, Scrutiny Digest 1 of 2018, 7 February 2018, p. 62.

[27]      Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills, Scrutiny Digest 3 of 2018, 21 March 2018, pp. 190–206.

[28]      The committee's website can be found at www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Legal_and_Constitutional_Affairs  

Chapter 2 - Issues and concerns raised

[1]        Submission 6, p. 3.

[2]        Submission 11, p. 2.

[3]        Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 17.

[4]        See Submission 26, pp. 3–4, citing: House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Community Affairs,  Every Picture Tells a Story Report (2003); House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, Inquiry into A better family law system to support and protect those affected by family violence (2017); Family Court of Australia, Less Adversarial Trial Handbook (2009); and Family Law Council,  Families with Complex Needs and the Intersection of the Family Law and Child Protections Systems (2016).

[5]        For support in submissions see, for example: EDVOS, Submission 11, p. 2; Women's Legal Services Australia (WLSA), Submission 17, p.12;  and RAV, Submission 6, p. 3.

[6]        Submission 6, p. 3.

[7]        See respectively Submission 1, p. 1 and Submission 3, p. 1.

[8]        For example, see the views expressed by Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia (R&DVSA), Submission 10, p. 1; and Domestic Violence Victoria (DV Vic), Submission 12, pp. 2–3.

[9]        Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, Attorney-General, First comprehensive review of the Family Law Act, Media Release 27 September 2017, available at  www.alrc.gov.au/inquiries/family-law-system/terms-reference (accessed 8 March 2018).

[10]      See, for example: Hunter Valley Family Law Practitioners Association (HVFLPA), Submission 4, p. 2, AHRC, Submission 7, pp. 4–5; People with Disability Australia (PWDA), Submission 8, p. 3; Australian Women Against Violence Alliance (AWAVA), Submission 9, p. 1; R&DVSA, Submission 10, p. 2; DV Vic, Submission 12, p. 2; WLSA, Submission 17, p. 5; safe steps, Submission 18, p. 4; Law Council, Submission 20, p. 5; Ms Zoe Rathus AM, Submission 21, p. 1; and  Victorian Family Law Bar Association (VFLBA), Submission 23, p. 2; and Domestic Violence Action Centre (DVAC), Submission 24, p. 2.

[11]      Submission 7, pp. 4–5.

[12]      Submission 20, p. 5.

[13]      Senator the Hon George Brandis QC, Attorney-General, Senate Hansard, 6 December 2017, p. 9867.

[14]      Referencing the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs inquiry, cited above. See Submission 26, pp. 4–5.

[15]      Submission 21, p. 5.

[16]      Ms Ashleigh Saint, Assistant Secretary, Attorney-General's Department, Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, pp. 52–53.

[17]      For example, see: R&DVSA, Submission 10, p. 2; and Domestic Violence Action Centre (DVAC), Submission 24, p. 1.

[18]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018i, p. 44.

[19]      HVFLPA, Submission 4, p. 2; and Ms Rathus, Submission 21, p. 2.

[20]      Submission 21, p. 2.

[21]      Submission 3, pp. 3–5.

[22]      Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, p. 15.

[23]      Submission 26, pp. 4–5.

[24]      Submission 2, pp. 2–3.

[25]      Submission 26, p. 2.

[26]      For support in submissions see, for example: EDVOS, Submission 11, p. 2; WLSA, Submission 17, p.12;  and RAV, Submission 6, p. 3.

[27]      Submission 17, p.12. The WLSA proposal was also explicitly supported by other submissions, including: safe steps Family Violence Response Centre, Submission 18, p. 6; Ms Rathus, Submission 21, p. 6.

[28]      HVFLPA, Submission 4, p. 5.

[29]      For example, see HVFLPA, Submission 4, p. 5; VFLBA, Submission 23, p. 11. Also cited by the Law Council, Submission 20, p. 14.

[30]      VFLBA, Submission 23, p. 11. Also cited by the Law Council, Submission 20, p. 14.

[31]      Submission 26, p. 7.

[32]      Department's emphasis. Submission 26, p. 7.

[33]      Submission 20, p. 13.

[34]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 49.

[35]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 36.

[36]      For example: RAV, Submission 6, p. 3 and EDVOS, Submission 11, p. 3.

[37]      Submission 11, p. 3.

[38]      Submission 26, pp. 11–12.

[39]      Ms Ashleigh Saint, Assistant Secretary, Attorney-General's Department, Proof  Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 3.

[40]      Submission 26, pp. 12–13.

[41]      For example, see DV Vic, Submission 12, p. 3 and WLSA, Submission 17, p.9.

[42]      Submission 17, p. 9.

[43]      Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, p. 6.

[44]      Submission 17, p. 6. See also a similar perspective voiced by Ms Rathus, Proof Committee Hansard, p. 34.

[45]      Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, p. 16.

[46]      Submission 26, p. 13.

[47]      For example, see ATSILS (Qld), Submission 15, p. 2; AWAVA, Submission 9, p. 1; WLSA, Submission 17, pp. 12–13; and National Family Violence Prevention Legal Services (NFVPLS), Submission 19, p. 1.

[48]      Submission 15, pp. 3–4.

[49]      Submission 8, p. 3.

[50]      Submission 17, pp. 12–13.

[51]      Submission 26, pp. 8–9.

[52]      Submission 20, pp. 10–11.

[53]      Law Council, Submission 20, p. 11 and VFLBA, Submission 23, pp. 9–10.

[54]      Submission 26, p. 14.

[55]      Submission 26, p. 14.

[56]      See, for example, the views expressed by the Commissioner for Children and Young People WA, Submission 1, p. 2; and the Commissioner for Children and Young People SA, Submission 3, p. 2. See also AHRC, Submission 7, p. 6.

[57]      WLSA, Submission 17, p.14.

[58]      WLSA, Submission 17, p.14; and R&DVSA, Submission 10, pp. 10–11.

[59]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 57.

[60]      Submission 26, p. 15.

[61]      Submission 26, p. 16.

[62]      Submission 26, p. 17.

[63]      See the submission made by WLSA, Submission 17, pp. 9–10, which was supported by a number of other submissions, including: PWDA, Submission 8, p. 3; AWAVA, Submission 9, p. 1; R&DVSA, Submission 10, p. 2; safe steps, Submission 18, p.3; NFVPLS, Submission 19, p. 1; DVAC, Submission 24, p. 1.

[64]      Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, pp. 7–8.

[65]      Submission 17, pp. 9–10.

[66]      Submission 17, p. 11.

[67]      Contrast, for instance, the perspectives voiced by RAV, Submission 6, p. 3 and the Law Council, Submission 20, p. 17.

[68]      Submission 20, p. 17.

[69]      WLSA, Submission 17, p. 9.

[70]      Professor Patrick Parkinson AM and Mr Brian Knox SC, Submission 5, p. 9. See also HVFLPA, Submission 4, p. 9.

[71]      Submission 26, p 18.

[72]      Submission 26, p 18.

[73]      Submission 6, p. 10.

[74]      Submission 5, p. 10.

[75]      Submission 26, p. 10.

[76]      Submission 3, pp. 10–11.

[77]      For example, Ms Rathus, Submission 21,  p. 3; and Law Society, Submission 20, p. 19.

[78]      Law Society, Submission 20, p. 19.

[79]      Submission 26, p. 20.

[80]      Submission 26, p. 20.

[81]      Submission 17, p. 14.

[82]      Submission 26, pp. 19–20.

[83]      Referencing the bill's proposed subsections 11NA(9), (10) and (11). Submission 20, p. 20.

[84]      Submission 26, p. 21.

[85]      Submission 26, p. 21.

[86]      Explanatory Memorandum, p. 84.

[87]      Law Society, Submission 21, pp. 19–20; VFLBA, Submission 23; the Hon Peter Rose AM QC, Proof Committee Hansard¸ 22 February 2018, p. 27.

[88]      Submission 20, p. 12. See also National Legal Aid, Submission 31, p. 10.

[89]      Submission 25, p. 2.

[90]      Submission 26, p. 22.

[91]      Ms Ashleigh Saint, Assistant Secretary, Attorney-General's Department, Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, pp. 52–53.

[92]      Submission 26, p. 22.

[93]      Submission 26, p. 22.

[94]      Submission 26, p. 22.

[95]      Ms Rathus, Submission 21, p. 5.

[96]      Submission 26, p. 19.

[97]      Submission 26, p. 19.

[98]      For instance, see RAV, Submission6 p. 6; and Western NSW Community Legal Centre Inc., Submission 13, p. 2.

[99]      Submission 26, p. 23.

[100]    Submission 17, p. 14.

[101]    Submission 26, pp. 19–20.

[102]    Submission 30, p. 5.

[103]    Submission 16, p. 5.

[104]    See RDVSA, Submission 10, p. 4; NCSM&C and CSMS&C(V), Submission 16, p. 5; WLSA, Submission 17, p. 6

[105]    Submission 26, p. 24.

[106]    Submission 26, pp. 2–3.

[107]    See, for example: HVFLPA, Submission 4, p. 7; PWDA, Submission 8; WLSA, Submission 17, p. 6; and Law Council, Submission 20, p. 9.

[108]    See, for example: Ms Kylie Beckhouse, Director, Family Law, LA NSW; and Ms Rathus, Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, pp. 17–18 and p. 34 respectively.

[109]    Law Council, Submission 20, pp. 9–10.

[110]    Submission 26, p. 22.

Opposition Senators' Dissenting Report

[1]        Submission 17, p. 7.

[2]        Submission 30, p. 3

[3]        Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 23.

[4]        Submission 21, p. 2.

[5]        Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 31

[6]        Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 23.

[7]        Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 6.

[8]        Proof Committee Hansard, 23 February 2018, p. 22.

[9]        Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 43.

[10]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 43.

[11]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 49.

[12]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 47.

[13]      Submission 20, p.19.

[14]      Submission 20, p. 9.

[15]      Submission 20, p. 9.

[16]      Submission 23, p. 1.

[17]      Proof Committee Hansard, 22 February 2018, p. 31.

Australian Greens–Dissenting Report

[1]        Submission 9, p. 1.

[2]        Submission 17, p. 5.

[3]        Submission 17, p. 5.

[4]        Submission 7, p. 3. For article 12, see Attorney-General's Department, Submission 26, p. 15.

[5]        Submission 7, p. 3.