family court
The Family Court The Family Court was set up by the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), and specializes in all matters concerning families. The court was split into two sections: • Counselling and mediation: A process which allows people to sort out their own differences, and arrive at their own solution to various issues such as: child maintenance, property division, and child care. Under the Family Law Reform Act 1995 (Cth) the importance of counselling and mediation was raised, and are now seen as a primary dispute resolution. As a result, 95% of marriages now end without having a court dispute. • Adjudicators or judges: The judges of the Family Court must ensure that the privacy of people are protected, but must still arrive at a formal decision regarding dissolutions that could not be sorted out through counseling. The Family Court has the jurisdiction and appellate the same as a Federal Court, however there is concerns that the jurisdiction of the Family Court is limited by the constitution, and other courts (District and Local) having the same jurisdiction for all family matters, except in relation to divorce. ... Both parties are required to attend a conference (usually with the help of the Family Court Registrar). The Registrar aims for the parties to come to an agreement, however if this goal is not achieved, then the matter will go before the court. When deciding how to divide the property, under the Family Law Act, the court will consider: • Financial contributions of each party.