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FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA
The workshop also included three individuals who had previously represented
themselves in the Family Court. Their presence and contributions helped to ensure
the focus of discussions did not unnecessarily deviate from the desired goal.
A number of proposals were put forward over the weekend. A report of these
outcomes was presented to the Court’s governing body the Chief Justice’s
Consultative Council (CJCC). Some of the recommendations that came out of the
workshop included:
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to provide a service to clients based on a fair litigation model that so far as
possible eliminates the bias created by the adversarial system between
parties of unequal resources and capability
the development of a ready guide of hints for SRLs
recognition and definition of the role of McKenzie’s friend
making more of the resource of SRLs with experience
provision of a resource room for SRLs
the introduction of time staggered lists
introduction of family conferencing
The objectives of developing a fair, less adversarial, less costly and less time
consuming process for litigation in family law matters remains an objective of
the Court. Further work in this area is progressing. The Court is now in the
process of developing and researching less adversarial models of litigation for
family law disputes and is working towards piloting a Court assisted litigation
model.
A copy of the report of the visioning workshop appears in full at Appendix 8.
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