Larissa Waters (Queensland, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to place a few things on the record. The Greens are really pleased to be supporting the changes to the Family Law Act that we're debating today, given that they will put children's welfare first in family matters. Overturning the regressive Howard-era changes to the Family Court system is long overdue. The women's safety sector and legal advocates have long called for a child safety focused court, and we are happy that these reforms move our laws closer to that goal. Since the Howard government rewrote Australia's family laws in 2006, we've seen the presumption of shared care weaponised, instead of the best interests of children coming first. We're very pleased to be able to pass amendments to the Family Law Act that are based on expert advice instead of the political grandstanding that's traumatised victims-survivors, put children at risk and provided a platform for hate and misinformation.

Gendered violence is at the core of the vast majority of cases in the family law system, and we know that children frequently bear the brunt of violent relationships and protracted legal matters. While these reforms are welcome, without more funding to courts and frontline family and domestic violence services—including legal services—delays, unequal representation and lack of support will continue to put women and children at risk. The Greens will continue to call for full funding for frontline family and domestic violence support services, including legal services and legal aid. We will also continue to call for comprehensive family and domestic violence education and trauma-informed training for the judiciary, legal practitioners, independent children's lawyers, family report writers, the police and all associated with the court process. If the Attorney-General wants these reforms to work—and we certainly want them to work—the government needs to stump up the funding for them to do so.

In conclusion, my question is: will we see a commitment to increase the funding to the courts both for training and to speed up the processing times for these decisions, and, crucially, will we also see a commitment to increased funding to family and domestic violence support services?