“This significant structural change is designed to dramatically increase the number of family law matters finalised each and every year, and reduce the backlog of unresolved cases on hand at any one time,” he said.

“The purpose of the reform is to ensure Australian families experience shorter waiting times, and a reduction in the potential for conflict caused by prolonged and acrimonious family disputes.”

The new FCFCA will have a single point of entry for all federal family law matters, offering consistency for Australian families needing their disputes dealt with by court proceedings, Mr Porter noted, with one court with one set of rules, procedures and practices.

The new court will be divided into two divisions, each comprising the existing judges of the current Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia respectively.

In addition, a new Family Law Appeal Division in the Federal Court of Australia will also be established to hear all appeals in family law matters from the newly-created FCFCA.

“As many as 22,000 family law final order cases are filed each year across the Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court,” Mr Porter explained.

“Despite the number of cases filed each year remaining relatively static over the past five years, the number of family law matters awaiting resolution has grown from 17,000 to 21,000 and the median time taken to reach trial has grown in both courts, from 10.8 months to 15.2 months in the Federal Circuit Court and from 11.5 months to 17 months in the Family Court.”

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Responding to the announcement, Law Council of Australia president Morry Bailes warned greater detail was needed, noting the LCA would support any constitutionally valid reforms which have the effect of finalising more cases in a quicker, less costly fashion.

“We have known for some time that the court system is in crisis, ultimately costing Australian families who have been denied access to justice,” he said.

“Waiting times of up to three years in the Family Court to finalise cases which involve disputes around children and property and allegations of family violence is unacceptable.”

Further investment in the courts – such as this new one – and legal aid services is still required “to deliver the best outcomes” for children and Australian families, Mr Bailes argued.

The Victorian Bar, on the other hand, welcomed the announcement of the proposed restructure of Australia’s family law courts.

“While we are still studying the detail of the proposal, the Victorian Bar welcomes changes which improve access to justice, simplify procedures and reduce waiting times and costs,” said Dr Matt Collins QC, President of the Victorian Bar.

“Members of the public who are dealing with the Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court, particularly in relation to custody and access to children, are often experiencing the most difficult and emotional periods of their lives.

Addressing this backlog is indeed what the Attorney-General is aiming to do: “It’s estimated that these reforms will improve the efficiency of the federal family law system by up to a third, with the potential in time to allow up to an extra 8,000 cases to be resolved each and every year,” he said.

“We have a responsibility to ensure that systems in place to assist those families who cannot resolve matters without legal intervention are as efficient as possible and that the system itself does not exacerbate the trauma of family breakup, especially for children.”

Mr Porter’s office noted that no changes will occur for the jurisdiction or operation of the High Court, Family Court of Western Australia, nor any state or territory courts that deal with family law cases.

MORE TO COME.