COVID-19 Impact To Family Court of Australia

The Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia (the Courts) have responded to the evolving impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and have made immediate and significant changes to court operations.

The aim of the new arrangements is to ensure that all urgent and priority matters are able to be dealt with safely by the courts, whilst at the same time, ensuring appropriate social distancing is adhered to.

Features of the new arrangements at the Family Courts of Australia are as follows:

• Due to the nature of family law work, including child related and family violence aspects, urgent and priority trials and contested hearings will remain listed and will be conducted in the safest manner possible.
• Non-urgent property only trials may be adjourned for an appropriate period of time, and non-urgent parenting trials will be given similar consideration but this is at the discretion of the Judge.
• Trials or hearings that can appropriately be done by telephone will be.
• High volume lists that are required to be conducted in person will be staggered to reduce the number of people in attendance.
• The number of people to attend a courtroom at any one time (other than the judge and their support staff) will be limited to 8 people (‘8 person in-court cap’).
• Additional people involved in matters must remain outside the courtroom.
• All court based events, or attendances of the judiciary or court representatives at external events, will be cancelled or postponed, or conducted by telephone or videoconference if possible.
• The work conducted by Registrars and the Courts’ Child Dispute Service’s staff is currently under review.

At Resolve Conflict Family Lawyers we highly recommend that clients look into alternative dispute resolutions to resolve their family law matters. We have a range of services to assist you in reaching any further agreements amicably. Please get in touch and one of our friendly staff members will be pleased to assist.

Related Article: 5 FAQ’s On How COVID-19 Will Affect Parenting Arrangements

Note: This is general information advice only and does not constitute specific legal advice. If you would like further information in relation to this matter or other legal matters, please contact us on 03 9620 0088 or email info@resolveconflict.com.au