The Attorney General’s Department has released a new exposure draft for proposed changes to the Family Law Act 1975.
When did it open?
The 18th of September 2023. You can locate the documents here – Exposure Draft: Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 – Attorney-General’s Department – Citizen Space (ag.gov.au)
When does it close?
The consultation closes on the 10th of November 2023.
What are the main proposals?
The exposure draft contains four schedules to present the proposed amendments themed by the type of changes:
- Schedule 1: Property reforms
- Schedule 2: Children’s contact services
- Schedule 3: Case management and procedure
- Schedule 4: General provisions
Fact Sheet – Fact sheet – Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 (ag.gov.au)
Download the consultation paper
The AG’s department have prepared a consultation paper to explain the exposure draft and seek stakeholder views on the key issues. This consultation paper reflects the structure of the exposure draft. It provides information on the amendments within each schedule of the exposure draft and the policies that they seek to implement. You are strongly encouraged to download, read and refer to this paper in conjunction with the exposure draft in preparing your submission.
Having your Say
Once you have reviewed and considered the proposed changes there are different ways you can provide your feedback
- Complete the online questionnaire on the areas that interest you. You don’t have to answer all questions in the form.
- Write a submission document and send to the consultation email address familylawamendmentbillno2@ag.gov.au but perhaps contact the department before doing so to check if there are any specific requirements.
Privacy
The department will only publish your submission if you give permission to do so. You can indicate if you would like your submission published or if you would like to make an anonymous submission.
If you are involved in family law proceedings – Submissions must not directly or indirectly identify persons, associates of persons, or witnesses involved in family law proceedings. This means that submissions should not include details like a person’s name (or their children), address, workplace, or school. Section 121 of the Family Law Act makes it an offence, except in very limited circumstances, to publish this information.
If you have a personal experience that you think the legislators need to consider make sure that you do not identify individuals in your response.
The AG’s page with the link for the feedback has more information. Read it! Exposure Draft: Family Law Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023 – Attorney-General’s Department – Citizen Space (ag.gov.au)
