Rachel Siewert (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens support this amendment for very similar reasons—and in fact have an identical amendment. We believe that the content of the legislation is, unfortunately, more about parents’ rights rather than children’s rights. We believe that where parents should be coming from is their joint responsibilities. The children must come first. We do not necessarily believe that the amendment the government is proposing will result in the best outcomes for children in all cases.

Most kids’ living arrangements are established at the point of separation and finalised without the need to go to court, and those arrangements do not change afterwards. With respect to responsibilities and doing things for children, it is not about control. I am deeply concerned that a lot of the debate happening outside this place has been about control of children and control of the ex-partner rather than about the wellbeing of the child. Certainly a number of emails that I have had have been about control. That is not to dismiss the fact—which I very deeply and freely acknowledge—that most men really want to nurture their children and jointly share responsibility for the children and do not want to control their children.

I am concerned that this legislation codifies control by either parent and is not about children’s rights or putting the children’s interests first. I am deeply concerned that this is about concentrating power and giving power over decisions rather than about what is in the best interest of the child. It also seems to be a one-way street when it comes to the situation where there is a residential parent and a non-residential parent and to what happens to require that non-residential parents make sure that they fulfil their obligations as well. I believe that the concept of joint parental responsibility more clearly and plainly states what society expects from parents, and it does not put the rights of parents first; it puts the rights of children first and the child’s interests first rather than the parents’ interests first. So I join the Democrats in supporting this amendment.