John Madigan (Victoria, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

My question is to the Attorney-General, Senator Brandis. Attorney, in 2012 the Gillard government amended the Family Law Act in a number of ways, including expanding the definition of 'family violence' beyond its traditionally understood meaning of physical or sexual violence, requiring courts to prioritise the need to protect children from family violence, so defined, over the interest of the child having a meaningful relationship with both parents, while removing the requirement that parties found to have lied to the court pay the legal cost of the other party. While perhaps well-intentioned, there is gathering evidence that, in combination, the effect of these changes has been to provide an incentive to parents involved in Family Court disputes to make false allegations of parental abuse. Can the Attorney-General please inform the Senate of any plans his office has to reform the Family Court jurisdiction?