Family Court

What is the Family Court

The Family Court of Australia services all families in need of legal advice from a experienced family lawyer or help in legal matters pertaining to the family.  This includes parenting, child care, child welfare and many cases that originate in the breakdown of a relationship and end in divorce. They offer a great deal of information and help on their website, through which you can apply for a divorce, for custody of the children, for settlement of assets and even for restraining orders against your ex, if he is harassing you in any way.

It was established by Parliament in 1975 and its judges and other staff have helped families with many complex problems ever since. Most of its services are free, but if you apply for a divorce, there is a fee, although this can be reduced for those that qualify. If you feel in need of help, you will find that the family court offers it without judgement, being respectful of your needs as well as those of your spouse and other family members.

This gives you the assurance that matters dear to your heart can be resolved equitably and fairly and with the least stress possible. For instance, if you have to apply for a restraining order against an ex who is harassing you, the first hearing will be done privately without his presence and the police will serve it, so you won’t need to see him face to face. If your ex is abusive and violent, your address will be kept private from him so that you can have peace of mind he won’t know where you live.

If you go through a divorce and cannot agree on a fair settlement of assets, the family court will make the judgement, taking several elements into consideration so they can make an equitable decision based on true facts. However, they will guide you along the non-judicial processes first, to ensure you have both tried to settle out of court. This has to be a genuine attempt to work out fair settlement, but if you are not satisfied with the results, they will then step in and wok it out for you.

They will help you deal with all the elements of divorce from dealing with abuse to division of assets after the divorce, through to child custody arrangements. Their aim is to help everyone and see that all get a fair deal with everything. They can tell you what the law is about any aspect of relationship breakdown and many more things that can happen to break up families.

So when trouble strikes and you don’t know where to turn for help, The Family Court of Australia is there to offer the aid and guidance you need.