Michael Ferguson (Bass, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question today is addressed to the Attorney-General and it relates again to families. Attorney-General, would you inform the House of progress on the government’s actions to help families in the various stages of their relationships?

Philip Ruddock (Berowra, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for Bass for his question because it gives me an opportunity to demonstrate that the government’s approach in relation to families is not one-dimensional. We have rolled out the first 15 of some 65 family relationship centres. I might say that they have been extremely well received. In the first four months of operations, those centres have received over 13,600 phone calls, had 3,700 people visit a centre, conducted more than 5,300 interviews and intake sessions and had more than 1,900 dispute resolution sessions. We are currently in the evaluation phase for tenders for the next 25 centres, including, I might say, the centre proposed for Launceston in the electorate of the member for Bass.

The government is delivering on its promise to provide important services to Australian families. Despite the rhetoric from the doomsayers on the other side, the next 25 family relationship centres are on track to open on time, just like the first 15. While others have focused on attacking the rollout of these valuable services, we have been working hard to ensure that they are available to as many people as possible. We have certainly seen the hard work of staff at the centres to ensure that that has happened, and that is to be commended. Notwithstanding Labor’s criticism of these centres from day one, experience has shown that they have been embraced by the community. The community has welcomed our vision and realised that we are the only ones willing to tackle the difficult issues relating to family law reform, keeping families together and, if that is not possible, resolving as amicably as possible issues that might be in contention. I urge all members, particularly those opposite, to embrace the next round of tenders, which will see these valuable services available to even more Australians.