pARt 6 MAnAGeMent AnD AccountABilitY - Family Court of Australia

• Improving Responses to Family Violence in the Family Law System by the Family Law Council.The Committee’s principal responsibility is to complete the implementation of the Court’s Family ViolenceStrategy and provide advice to the Chief Justice, Chief Federal Magistrate and CEO on family violenceissues.During the year the Committee established sub-committees to consider each of the above reports. Inaddition:• a separate sub-committee was reviewing and updating the Family Court’s Family Violence Strategywith a view to expanding the strategy to encompass the Federal Magistrates Court• another sub-committee was reviewing the Family Court’s Family Violence Best Practice Principles toextend their ambit to the Federal Magistrates Court and to take account of changes in practice andprocedure in both Courts, and• the Committee coordinated a response to the Australian Law Reform Council/NSW Law ReformCouncil’s consultation paper, Family Violence: Improving Legal Frameworks (a document of morethan 1000 pages).PART 6MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITYAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander CommitteeIn 2008–09, the Family Law Courts Advisory Group agreed to establish a joint Family Court-FederalMagistrates Court Indigenous Working Group to examine the needs of Indigenous people in theFamily Law Courts. The Group became a formal committee of the courts in April 2010. The Committeeconsidered:• the impact of the shift in the provision of services to Indigenous clients, previously provided byIndigenous Family Liaison Officers of the Family Court, to Family Relationship Centres• how to manage applications for parenting orders concerning residence, contact and specific issuesas a result of traditional and customary adoption practices by Torres Strait Islanders (Kupai Omasker)• how to meet the needs of Indigenous clients of both courts within existing resources, includingrecommendations as to how the Courts can ensure proper information is provided to this clientgroup, internally and externally, and• the development of a joint Reconciliation Action Plan, as required by Government, which identifiesthe steps the Courts will take to build relationships and enhance respect with IndigenousAustralians. It will include areas such as building relationships with the Indigenous communities,staff education, attracting and retaining Indigenous staff and ensuring that judges and familyconsultants have access to appropriate expertise to deal with Indigenous families.During 2009–10, the Committee engaged Stephen Ralph, an independent Aboriginal consultant withextensive experience in working with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in the area of familylaw, to undertake a study of the views and experiences of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander familieswho had recently been involved in family law proceedings. The research was to examine the interfacebetween Indigenous families and the Family Law Courts, including issues of access to justice and stepstowards improved service delivery. At 30 June 2010, it was anticipated that the results of the researchwould be published in early 2011.Other initiatives of the Committee during 2009–10, in consultation with the Courts’ Communication108 Family Court of Australia — Annual Report 2009–2010