Family Law

The case of Biondi & Koen [2020] FamCA 201 was urgently listed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[1] Background The Mother was an international student who arrived in Australia from Brazil in 2015. The parties had a brief and casual sexual relationship in April 2016. The Mother fell pregnant with the parties’ child. The … Read more

The Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia have recently introduced the National Arbitration List, where family law matters in the Courts will be sent to an external Arbitrator to be finalised. This is good news for parties in the Court system, as preparation for and attendance at an arbitration can often … Read more

In the case of Ritter & Ritter and Anor [2020] FamCAFC 86 the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia allowed an appeal after finding that the husband had not been afforded procedural fairness. In 2012, Mr Ritter and Ms Ritter obtained consent orders resolving their property settlement matter. In 2018, the husband made … Read more

Long & Peng Case Note Recently, the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia at Brisbane (“Family Court”) decided an interesting case involving property matters. In this case, the Family Court dismissed an appeal from the Federal Circuit Court on the basis that there was not sufficient evidence to sustain the appeal, the original … Read more

COVID-19 has certainly thrown parents some ‘curve-balls’. Amongst these are an increased need for separated parents to negotiate on temporary alterations to parenting arrangements, in what might otherwise have been a settled situation. For other parents, COVID-19 has been used an excuse to stop children from spending time with their other parent, or for one … Read more

I’ve been served with a Protection Order Application or a Temporary Protection Order. What should I do? It’s important to take the matter seriously and make an appointment to see a lawyer.  Domestic Violence Applications are treated seriously by the Courts in Australia. Once an Order is in place (temporary or final), the terms set … Read more

In the breakdown of a relationship, the first thing to consider in the process of determining your entitlement to a property settlement is determining what property is available to be split. This property is called the “net asset pool”. A detailed article about what assets are included in a family property settlement can be found here.  … Read more

On 29 March 2020, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the government would be contributing $150 million to support domestic violence services like 1800 Respect and Mensline. The PM noted that with the stress and isolation that comes with the COVID-19 virus, the threat of domestic and family violence can become much greater. In his … Read more

The rise of coronavirus has impacted on many people in unexpected ways. For people already at risk of family violence, the need to self-isolate or distance themselves socially can put them at an even higher risk of harm. Now might be the time to engage in safety planning, or to help someone you think may … Read more

There’s no question that separating from your partner can be expensive. There may be costs involved in moving house, separating your finances, getting legal and financial advice, not to mention the reality of an overall reduced household income. With the uncertainty surrounding job security with the corona virus or CoVID-19 crisis, many people may be … Read more