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‘Quick fix that won’t work’: LIV on proposed family court merger
With the bill currently before Parliament, the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) has come out opposing the merger of the specialist Family Court with the Federal Circuit Court, saying its a quick fix solution that won’t work.
Emma Musgrave
The bill proposing the merger of the specialist Family Court with the Federal Circuit has received vast criticism since its introduction in 2018. Now that the bill is before Federal Parliament, the LIV has joined one of many reiterating its opposition of it going ahead.
Describing it as "a quick fix", Ms Neville-Jones said the merger wouldn't do what it intends to do, which is tackle the significant delays in the family law system. Instead, she suggested the merger could potentially do more harm than good.
“While we agree that the system is broken and that reform is needed, we do not agree that the merger bill is the quick fix required, particularly in circumstances where a detailed ALRC Report has also now been released since the introduction of the bill that needs careful consideration before any major reforms are carried out, as well as further consultation with stakeholders," Ms Neville-Jones said.
Ms Neville-Jones added a primary concern with the bill is that "we will lose our specialist Family Court of Australia and its specialist judiciary due to the structural reform the bill delivers".
“Ultimately the federal government should listen to the various bodies against the bill including the LCA before moving forward with something that has the capacity to cause more delay and negative implications for the vulnerable who greatly benefit from a specialist judiciary," she said.
These latest comments from the LIV follow other legal bodies sharing their opposition to the bill being passed in Parliament, including the Law Council of Australia (LCA), Women’s Legal Services Australia, Community Legal Centres Australia and the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.
Emma Musgrave
Emma Musgrave (née Ryan) is the managing editor, professional services at Momentum Media.
Emma has worked for Momentum Media since 2015, including five years spent as the editor of the company's legal brand - Lawyers Weekly. Throughout her time at Momentum, she has been responsible for breaking some of the biggest stories in corporate Australia. In addition, she has produced exclusive multimedia and event content related to the company's respective brands and audiences.
Prior to joining Momentum Media, Emma worked in breakfast radio, delivering news to the Central West region of NSW, before taking on a radio journalist role at Southern Cross Austereo, based in Townsville, North Queensland.
She holds a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) degree from Charles Sturt University.
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