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What are Consent Orders and How Can They Help My Family?

If you and your former partner have agreed on an approach to parenting and/or financial and property arrangements, you can formalise your agreement by entering into Consent Orders. Consent Orders can only be entered into when you and your former partner have reached an agreement, whether between yourselves, or with the assistance of your family law lawyers. Consent Orders are legally binding and enforceable by the Family Court. They can be used to vary or discharge existing family law Orders that may be outdated or impractical. Consent Orders are final and can be difficult to change without agreement. It is therefore imperative to seek legal advice from family law lawyers about your family law rights and entitlements.

Consent Orders must be filed in the Family Court of Australia together with an Application for Consent Orders. The fee for entering into Consent Orders is $165, or free if you are eligible for an exemption of fees.

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Family Dispute Resolution: How to Resolve Your Parenting Dispute Without Going to Court

In response to the growing risks of COVID-19, the family Courts have begun postponing court dates for non-urgent matters. Unfortunately, this means that it may be many months before your application for child custody is heard before a Judge. Parents should be encouraged to look for alternative ways to resolve their dispute such as through Family Dispute Resolution.

By law, parents are normally required to make a genuine effort to resolve parenting disputes before beginning Court proceedings. This can be achieved by attending Family Dispute Resolution also known as FDR for short, with a certified FDR practitioner. Your FDR practitioner can then issue you with a section 60I certificate which you will need to provide to your child custody lawyer to file with your Application. You will then have 12 months to commence proceedings with the Certificate otherwise you will need to obtain an updated certificate.

Your FDR practitioner has the power to dispense with the FDR requirements if they believe that it would be inappropriate due to a party unable to negotiate freely. Unequal bargaining power and a history of domestic violence are matters the practitioner may consider when deciding whether the mediation is appropriate.

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My Ex Won’t Let Me Take My Kids Overseas

During child custody proceedings, parents cannot remove their children from Australia without either:

  1. The written consent of the other party, or
  2. A Court Order providing for overseas travel.

The most cost efficient way to take your children on an overseas trip is generally to negotiate with your former partner to obtain their consent and then put this into writing.

If you cannot come to an agreement, you may be able to make an application to the Family Court with the assistance of your child custody lawyers. Ultimately, the Court will make its child custody decisions in the best interests of the child. The Court may make an Order for the child not to travel overseas, or make an Order allowing the child to travel. In some circumstances the Court may make an Order for you or your former partner to pay a security if the child is allowed to travel to better ensure the child’s return.

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Keeping Families Safe: How the Family Courts are Responding to Covid19

On 19 March 2020, the Honourable Justice William Alstergren published new practice directions for the Family and Federal Circuit Courts to respond to the growing concerns of Covid19, also known as the Coronavirus. Overall, there has been a move to minimise the attendance of your divorce lawyer and their clients at registries to uphold the health and safety of all involved.

Key changes for your Divorce Lawyer

  • All documents must be filed electronically;
  • If documents cannot be uploaded to the portal, for example if the document is too large to upload, the documents should be emailed to the relevant registry for filing;
  • Hard copies of documents will only be accepted in limited circumstances;
  • Subpoena viewing is by appointment only in all Registries;
  • Appointments to view subpoena material should only be made if the matter is scheduled for hearing within 4 weeks or if the matter is urgent;
  • Exhibits to affidavits filed in the Family Court of Australia should now be annexed/attached to the affidavit if the exhibits are less than 2cm width and will be filed electronically;

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How Interim Child Custody Proceedings Can Help You

Interim proceedings allow the Court to make temporary child custody Orders that are effective until the matter can finally be determined. An application for interim Orders cannot be filed without an Application for final Orders. At the interim hearing, some of the issues the Court may consider include who the child should live with until the final hearing, whether the child can travel overseas and whether the child can relocate to another city.

The mere fact that the children are currently in a well settled environment does not prevent the Court from making a child custody Order for parents to spend time with the children. Rather than preserving the status quo, at an interim parenting hearing, the main objective of is for both parents to have meaningful involvement in their children’s’ lives. Child custody law is in favour of substantial involvement of both parents in their children’s lives including both parental responsibility and time spent with the children. This rule is subject to the need to protect the children and provided that it is in the best interests of each child. The Court will consider whether equal time or significant involvement by both parents in the children’s lives is appropriate and practical.

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Separation Lawyer Advice – Can your ex take your super?

By Andrew Banna, a Principal of Matthews Folbigg, in our Family Law Group.

Superannuation falls within the scope of property under the Family Law Act. Upon the breakdown of a relationship, the superannuation splitting laws provide for the possibility for your superannuation to be divided between you and your ex partner as part of your property settlement with a separation lawyer. However, as superannuation is held on trust, different rules apply to how this type of property can be divided. Dividing your superannuation will not automatically turn the interest into cash that you can take home with you, rather, the interest will remain subject to the laws of superannuation. The options available to the non-member spouse that is receiving the split include:

  1. Leaving the super benefit in the member’s super fund in their own name
  2. Rolling over or transferring the super benefit to another fund
  3. Apply for the benefit to be released  to them if you have reached the conditions of your retirement

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Divorce Lawyer Advice – I Want a Divorce – Married Less than Two Years

By Andrew Banna, a Principal of Matthews Folbigg, in our Family Law Group.

If you have been married for less than two years and you decide to divorce, there are a few things for you to consider with a divorce lawyer. A divorce application is not to be filed within two years after the date of marriage without the leave of the Court. When establishing how the two years is calculated, it is determined from the date of the marriage to the date of applying to the Court for a divorce. You and your spouse must also have been separated for at least 12 months before applying for a divorce.

What do you need to do to get around this?

If you have been married less than two years and want to apply for a divorce, you must either:

  1. Attend counselling with a family counsellor or nominated counsellor to discuss the possibility of reconciliation with your spouse. OR

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‘I Want a Divorce’ – Divorce Lawyer Advice

By Andrew Banna, a Principal of Matthews Folbigg, in our Family Law Group.

Divorce Lawyer advice; Can I apply for a divorce?

In Australia you can apply for a divorce with a divorce lawyer if either you or your spouse:

  • Regard Australia as your home and intend to live in Australia indefinitely, or
  • Are an Australian citizen by birth, descent or by grant of Australian citizenship, or
  • Ordinarily live in Australia and have done so for 12 months immediately before filing for divorce.

Additionally, you must be able to prove to the Court that you and your spouse have lived separately and apart (it is possible to live in the same home and still be separated) for a minimum of 12 months and that there is no existent likelihood of resuming married life.

Divorce Applications

This is where seeking legal advice and assistance is recommended. Prior to filing a divorce application a divorce lawyer can assist you in identifying your legal rights and obligations. They are able to assist in providing divorce advice in relation to your child custody rights as well as property settlements.
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