The recent divorces of billionaire couples Bill and Melinda Gates and Jeff and Mackenzie Bezos have demonstrated the importance of alternative methods of dispute resolution to avoid engaging in drawn out and acrimonious court proceedings. In both the Gates and Bezos divorces, mediation and collabora...

A key concern for most people following the breakdown of a relationship is how the property will be divided between the parties. Where parties can reach an agreement as to the property settlement out of court this is usually the preferred option as it will avoid the delay and expense associated with...

The recent High Court decision of Clayton v Bant [2020] HCA 44 highlights the complexities involved in cross-jurisdictional property settlement proceedings and the various legal rules and principles concerned regarding the finality of litigation. Careful consideration is required when deciding when ...

Dividing property following separation can be a challenging and emotional process. More specifically, the distribution of superannuation between a divorced couple can be relatively complex. Although superannuation is commonly a couple’s major asset excluding the family home, it is often overlooked...

The advent of technology and social media has brought about immense advancements in communication and accessibility to information. However, as people spend more of their time online, instances of malicious behaviour and flagrant misuse of the medium have arisen in concerning proportions. Namely, th...

When a marriage or de-facto relationship ends, there is an understanding that usually some sort of division of property will occur. Family law gives effect to this understanding by allowing parties to seek a property order from a Judge for a just outcome. Family lawyers can help to guide a person th...

On 17 November 2017 the final report of the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory was delivered to the Commonwealth and Northern Territory governments. One of the major issues identified in the report was the lack of integration of the various infor...

The Victorian Crime Statistics Agency (CSA) has released data collected by Victoria Police about children who have witnessed or been exposed to family violence. The concerning statistics, which were released on 10 March 2021 indicate that child exposure to family violence remains a prominent issue t...

On 17 February 2021, the Federal Parliament passed the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020 and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2020. The new Acts allow for the amalgamation of the Federal Circuit and Fami...

For those who have been involved in Family Law and in particular, matters which involve children, the Department of Health and Human Services Victoria (known in short as “DHHS”) is a familiar organisation. This department described itself as having “traditionally developed and delivered polici...