Courtside This issue - The Law Society of Tasmania

FAMILY COURT
OF AUSTRALIA
This issue
2 From the Chief
Justice:
3 New faces around
the Court
5 Calling all ideas
for Certified
Agreement
6 Flu vaccinations
for 2007-2008
7 From the CEO:
Working with
International
Courts
8 Tech News:
Mobile computing
and survey update
Courtside
Newsletter of the Family Court of Australia ~ Vol 7 Issue 1
Australia Day honours
Five Family Court staff members from across Australia have been recognised with Australia Day
Achievement Medallions for 2007. Stephen Ralph (Darwin Registry), Peter Francis (Adelaide
Registry), Dennis Beissner (National Support Office), Elizabeth Hore (Melbourne Registry) and
Susan Weise (Brisbane Registry) were each recognised with the medallion for their exceptional
contributions to the Court.
Each year the Australia Day medallions are an important way in which the Court acknowledges
the extraordinary contribution employees make to an organisation.
Stephen Ralph
Manager, Child Dispute Services
National Coordinator (Indigenous Programs)
Darwin
STEPHEN RALPH
Stephen received an Australia Day medallion
for his hard work and dedication to the Court,
and particularly in relation to Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander people.
Joining the Court in1989 over the years
Stephen has worked in several registries.
During his time in Alice Springs he was
given the opportunity to gain a much greater
exposure to traditional Aboriginal lifestyles and
his visits to remote Communities exposed him
to the many tribal and language groups in and
around Central Australia.
This awareness led to the development of
materials to educate people about the Court.
His nominations stated that he “has been
consistent in his efforts to provide a better user
friendly service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander people.”
At a national level he has ensured cross
cultural awareness training occurred in
registries and through workshops with child
representatives.
“I’m delighted to receive this award. It is
largely though due to the support, friendship
and assistance of my team, and my colleagues
over the years that this has all been possible,”
Stephen said of receiving the medallion.
PETER FRANCIS
Peter Francis
Manager BSDO Team
Adelaide
Peter Francis has been awarded the Australia
Day medallion for being an outstanding team
leader and his commitment to the quality
of Casetrack through testing regimes and
responsiveness to users.
Peter was a major force in the design and
construction of Casetrack and was responsible
for the MetaData and construction of the
Casetrack letters.
During the roll-out he was assigned to assist
with the training of client services counter staff
which was one of the most successful aspects
of the roll-out.
The nomination for Peter noted he brought
together team members from each state to be
cohesive and responsive to users. The work of
the team was recognised with the Janet Kitcher
Excellence Award last year.
“It is very gratifying to think senior management
in the Court would think enough of your work
to nominate you for this award,” Peter said.
“Personally I am very pleased to receive the
Australia Day award and for the kind emails
of congratulations that I have received. I also
appreciated the fact the Chief Justice rang me
personally to advise me of the Award and to
have a chat.”
Continued page 4
DENNIS BEISSNER
SUSAN WEISS
1

2
From the Chief Justice
In January I had the pleasure of
announcing the five Family Court
recipients of the Australia Day
Achievement Medallion. Being part
of the selection process for this award
is a very rewarding aspect of my
position. I extend my congratulations
to this year’s recipients – Stephen
Ralph, Peter Francis, Dennis Beissner,
Elizabeth Hore and Susan Weise.
You can read in detail about the
achievements of these staff on pages
1 and 4.
The Court is presently preparing
for the work associated with Less
Adversarial Trials pursuant to Division
12A of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)
for matters filed after 1 July 2006.
In Melbourne a trial `Blitz’ has
taken place to reduce the number
of cases which were filed prior to
1 July 2006 and await hearing. In
addition to the work of 9 local
Judges, a further 3 Judges from
interstate also provided assistance
during the `Blitz’ period in
Melbourne. Where appropriate,
cases were transferred to the
Federal Magistrates Court. Early
reports indicate that this process
has been very effective in clearing
a significant number of matters
awaiting trial.
The work of court staff during
this busy period was an essential
component of the success of the
‘Blitz’. I thank all staff involved
for their extra efforts during this
challenging time.
In Brisbane, over five consecutive
days in February, a joint callover
of identified cases was held with
Justice Carmody and Federal
Magistrate Michael Baumann
both on the bench. Where cases
were transferred to the Federal
Magistrates Court, directions
and trial dates were immediately
provided; otherwise directions were
made for the progression of each
of the matters that remained. The
callover was very effective. Of
the 276 matters mentioned, 170
were transferred to the Federal
Magistrates Court, final orders were
made in 24 cases, 26 applications
were discontinued and directions
were made for the progression of
the balance of 56 matters.
The diminution of the cases
awaiting a hearing filed prior to 1
July 2006, will enable the Court to
restructure listings to accommodate
the hearing of Less Adversarial
Trials and the introduction of an
individual Judicial Docket.
The Family Court is increasingly
focused upon the more complex
family law cases, with the less
complex matters moving to the
Federal Magistrates Court. This
transition is of particular importance
to the Adelaide Registry where the
recent retirement of Justice Murray
has required the Court to develop a
streaming model.
A workshop was held in Adelaide
on 1 February to consider the
implementation of a streaming
model pilot for family law
applications.
THE HON DIANA BRYANT
A streaming model will require
all cases to be commenced in
the Federal Magistrates Court
and be transferred to the Family
Court where appropriate, with the
exception of ‘special jurisdiction’
cases (for example, Hague
cases) which will be listed in
the Family Court. A model of
solicitor certification is also being
developed, whereby solicitors
indicate that a particular dispute
is appropriate to be heard in the
Family Court. This process is
subject to review by a Registrar.
There were 28 participants in the
workshop including members of
the Family Court judiciary and
Federal Magistrates, court staff and
representatives from the Attorney-
General’s Department.
The participants agreed on a
proposed streaming model
and are working towards the
implementation of the project.
Finally, I welcome a number of
significant appointments from
within the Family Court. The Court’s
Deputy Chief Justice, John Faulks
has been appointed to the Family
Law Council. Deputy Chief Justice
Faulks was previously a chairman
of the Family Law Council. The
Council makes a vital contribution
to the development of family law
and I congratulate his Honour on his
appointment to this important role.
I also extend my congratulations
to Charlotte Kelly and Leanne
Spelleken, former Senior Registrars
of the Family Court, who have
recently been appointed as Federal
Magistrates. They will serve as
Federal Magistrates in Adelaide and
Brisbane respectively.
COURTSIDE ~ April March 2006 2007

New service for
federal law clients
In an excellent example of jurisdictions working in
partnership for the benefit of clients, the Family Court of
Australia is trialling a ground breaking service delivery
option for federal law clients.
Working closely with the Federal Magistrates Court and
Federal Court, the Family Court is implementing a trial
to allow general federal law filings in five Family Law
Courts’ registries from March 2007.
Parramatta, Newcastle, Dandenong, Lismore and
Townsville Family Law Courts’ registries are accepting
general federal law filings, with or without payment, at
all client service counters.
“Diversifying the Court’s services in this way makes
best use of Commonwealth resources, technology and
infrastructure and improves client access to general
federal law services,” Garry Wilson, NSW Regional
Registry Manager, who is overseeing the project said.
When clients drop off their documents in these trial
sites client service staff will arrange for the documents
to be sent by registered mail to the closest Federal
Court for processing and filing. Documents will not be
considered presented, lodged or filed until received and
accepted by the relevant Federal Court Registry.
If the trial is successful, the service may be extended to
other family law registries. It may also be expanded to
include full filing services.
“The trial has actually been operating in the Townsville
registry for some time and staff have fine tuned the
process superbly,” Garry said.
A procedure manual has been posted on the Intranet
to help with common questions client service staff
may have.
Parramatta welcomes
New Registry Manager
Paul Le Large recently joined the
Parramatta Registry as manager.
Paul joins the Court after a
distinguished career in the Army
and, more recently a senior
management position in Defence
Housing Australia.
Paul Le Large
“I am really looking forward to the challenge of this
job and to working in an area that I believe is very
worthwhile. I hope to contribute to the ongoing
success of the Court,” Paul said.
First on Paul’s agenda for the new job is getting to
know the people and the issues.
National Office
Client Services team
The Court welcomes new National Office Client
Services team – Richard Oliver (pictured above right)
as Executive Director, Client Services and Simon
Kelso as Executive Adviser, Client Services.
Richard joins the Court after most recently heading
the corporate function at two Federal government
departments – the Department of the Prime Minister
and the Cabinet and the Attorney-General’s
Department. He has also worked at Defence
undertaking a range of roles. Prior to this Richard was
a secondary teacher, teaching mostly in the business
related subjects.
“I joined the Court as I was keen to work in an
organisation I considered was involved in important
and meaningful work,” Richard said.
“I was also very keen to move back to working in the
core business of an organisation after managing and
working within corporate areas for some time. I very
much look forward to working with Court staff in this
new role.”
Simon rejoins the Court after spending eight
months with the ACT Government assisting with the
restructuring and development of their court system.
Prior to this Simon was Registry Manager of the
Canberra Registry.
“I’m looking forward to working in this new role that
takes me from operational work to corporate,” Simon
said. “I am sure it will further develop my policy and
project management skills.”
Family Court of Australia
3

4
Australia Day honours
Dennis Beissner
Manager, Statistical Services Unit
National Support Office, Canberra
Dennis’ commitment and support for the strategic
goals of the Court and the fact he is well respected by
peers, managers and judges in the Court resulted in him
receiving an Australia Day medallion.
Dennis has been leading the statistical function of the
Court since 2000 and provides information which is
the basis for strategic decision-making by judges and
managers across the Court as well as information for
external reporting.
The nomination for Dennis noted: “he has an excellent
knowledge of the Court and its case management
processes to ensure that interpretation of data is accurate.”
“I’m really honoured to receive this award to be recognised
for the work and effort of my team,” Dennis said.
“Like everyone in the Court, I just do the best job that I
can. I really enjoy what I do, so it’s not hard for me to
stay enthusiastic and passionate about my job.
”I really like how the Court’s management is open to
looking at innovative and new statistics to review the
affects of the case management changes and how the
Court is performing.
“Importantly, this award also recognises my stats team
and the people I work closely with. Without their
commitment, hard work and team effort I couldn’t do
what I do, and I sincerely thank them all for their support.”
Susan Weise
Associate to Justice May
Brisbane
The level of professionalism and integrity Susan exhibits
in her work and in particular her role in supporting the
administrative judge as Team Leader Judicial Support in
Queensland resulted in recognition with an Australian
Day medallion.
Susan joined the Court in 1998 and from 2001 to 2003
spent two years with the Federal Magistrates Court.
Her role supporting the administrative judge
demonstrated her ability to “manage sensitive judicial
demands while leading a team of associates with their
professional and administrative duties,” according to her
nomination.
The Regional Coordinating Judge commented on Susan’s
“high level of expertise and maturity”.
Elizabeth Hore
Associate to Justice J V Kay
Melbourne
COURTSIDE ~ March 2007
Continued from page 1
Elizabeth was awarded the Australian Day medallion
for her wide range of achievements during her 20 years
with the Court.
She joined the Court as Justice Graham’s Associate and
upon His Honour’s retirement became an Associate for
Justice Kay.
“Throughout her time with the Court, Elizabeth has
demonstrated her commitment through her involvement
on several Court committees and projects, including a
major research project on domestic homicide, and as
the mentor she has become to many fellow associates,”
Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth thanked the Chief Justice and everyone in the
Court for acknowledging her in this special way.
“It is quite a humbling experience and I am
very appreciative of the kind words and notes of
congratulations forwarded to me.
“My time at the Court has been an interesting, varied
and at times challenging work experience that has
offered me many opportunities.
“I would like to thank everyone, including some people
who are no longer at the Court but whose enthusiasm,
support and inspiration encouraged me so much
– Margaret Harrison, Sophy Bordow and the late Danny
Sandor come particularly to mind – and, of course, it
has been a privilege and a pleasure to work as associate
to Justice Graham until he retired and then Justice Kay
from 1998 onwards, and also with Southern Appeals
Registrar Pia Marrone.”
Susan also assisted the Registry Manager with her
insight and advice. “I feel very honoured to have been
nominated and to receive this award,” Susan said.
“I have worked in a wide range of areas within the
public service over many years and the work that I do in
the Family Court is by far the most personally rewarding
of my career.
“I have the privilege of working with so many wonderful
people who are committed to providing the best
possible outcome for our clients, who come to the Court
at one of the most difficult times in their lives.
“I love being part of the judicial support team in
Brisbane and to receive this award for doing something
that gives me so much pleasure is an added bonus.”

Calling all ideas for
new CA
The Court’s Certified Agreement expires on 30 June
2007 and negotiations have started for the new
Collective Agreement.
Is there anything you feel needs to be improved in the
next agreement?
Any changes that you would like to see introduced?
If so, contact your staff representative for the Collective
Agreement.
Details on the Collective Agreement 2007 are located
under Human Resources on the Intranet.
There you’ll find the contact details of the staff
representatives and the minutes of the first meeting
between the staff elected representatives, management
and unions’ representatives.
Plastic Payments
Family Law Court registries across Australia are now
able to process credit card payments that are sent in
by mail.
Following a successful trial in Dubbo, Townsville,
Brisbane, Sydney, and Adelaide late last year, mail
credit card processing has been introduced to all
registries.
National roll-out of the mail-based credit card
payment option follows the successful introduction
of over the counter credit card processing last year,
with credit cards already accounting for approximately
15 per cent of all administered receipts.
“New payment terminals, procedures and forms,
private automatic branch exchange (PABX) upgrades
and Casetrack enhancements have been implemented
to ensure credit card payment options are now up
and running,” said Karin Hagel, the Court’s Financial
Accountant, who led the project.
“As with any of these system-wide projects, it was
a team effort achieved with registries, Information,
Communications and Technology Services and Finance
and Business Services (FABS) all pulling together to
implement the new credit card facilities successfully.”
For more information about credit card payments
please contact the Finance Section of FABS on
02 6243 8784.
Janet Kitcher
award
nominations open
It’s time to nominate colleagues you think have done an
outstanding job over the past year for the Janet Kitcher
Excellence in Performance Award.
From this year it will be easier than ever to make nominations
through the use of an online nomination system.
The annual award is part of the Court’s recognition system
for outstanding performance. The award is named in
honour of Janet Kitcher, whose outstanding contributions
at the Dandenong Registry and on the Combined Registry
initiative ended prematurely when she lost her battle with
cancer in 2005.
All Court employees are eligible to nominate a colleague or
team who they believe satisfies the following criteria:
o The nominee contributes towards the delivery of
service to clients from the clients’ perspective and
their achievements further the APS Values and Code of
Conduct;
o The nominee demonstrates the highest ethical
standards and integrity, respect for people and cultural
sensitivity; and
o The nominee’s achievements are outstanding in at least
one of the following:
~ innovation
~ pro-activity
2007
~ cooperation (promoting and encouraging one
another’s efforts)
~ providing exemplary service in response to
community needs, or
~ positive behaviour which achieves an outstanding
contribution.
Nominations close on Thursday 5 April 2007 and are assessed
by the Staff Development Committee, a national committee
which aims to identify, develop and recommend national
training and development initiatives, policies and programs.
The award recipient will be announced in June.
An email containing the electronic nomination form
and intranet link will be sent out early March. Further
information about the award is available on the intranet.
Family Court of Australia
5

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Flu Vaccinations 2007
With the festive season becoming a distant memory,
it won’t be too long until the flu season is upon us yet
again.
Under the current Certified Agreement, all Court
employees are eligible to participate in the annual
Influenza Vaccination Program; a workplace wellbeing
initiative co-ordinated in conjunction with Health
Services Australia.
Vaccinations will commence in most registries from
mid-March.
A list of registry contacts are available on the intranet
under the ‘Latest News’ section – Staff Voluntary
Influenza Vaccinations 2007.
Your registry contact can provide you with information
in relation to how this process will occur in your
location.
Watch out for more information through your registry
and the HR Hub Newsletter on the Intranet.
Finance System Upgrade
The Court is currently upgrading its financial system.
From mid-March the Court will be using the latest
version of Finance One, which offers a range of
features for users.
“The new system provides a web style user
interface, improved reporting capabilities and
electronic workflow functionality,” said John Keen
of Financial Systems.
“As part of the upgrade there will also be more
integrated systems. HR financial information
and budget consolidation tools are two of the
significant improvements.”
Staff training on the new system is already
underway and representatives from each registry
will travel to Canberra this month to learn how to
use the new program.
If you require any further information contact
John Keen on 02 6243 8764.
Employee Assistance
Program
Did you know all employees have access to the
Employee Assistance Program (EAP), a free service
that offers face-to-face counselling during work hours
or 24 hours phone counselling?
EAP can provide help with a wide range of issues
including:
◗ Personal / family issues
◗ Midlife issues
◗ Low self-esteem
◗ Work-life balance
◗ Relationship issues
◗ Financial or legal problems
◗ Stress management
The service can also assist with work issues such as:
◗ Relationships between co-workers
◗ Managing conflict
◗ Adjusting to change
◗ Handling work stress
◗ Making career choices
Your situation is dealt with in the strictest of
confidence.
If it is during work hours, you may need to tell your
supervisor/manager that you will be absent from
work. If you go in your own time, no one will know.
Job security and promotional opportunities will not
be jeopardised by seeking help through the EAP.
To make an appointment with EAP from anywhere
in Australia call 1300 366 789 or for traumatic
incidents or crisis counselling call 1800 451 138.
EAP in conjunction with HR have been providing
brief presentation to all registries about how you can
benefit from using EAP.
COURTSIDE ~ April March 2006 2007

From the CEO
It is significant that we start Courtside
for 2007 by acknowledging the work
and dedication of some of our staff
members through the Chief Justice’s
Australia Day medallions.
The fact the Court has so many
worthy recipients each year is
testimony to the dedication and
commitment of Court staff.
I would like to extend my
congratulations to Stephen, Peter,
Dennis, Susan and Elizabeth. There is
a feature on these recipients and their
excellent work on pages 1 and 4.
Looking more broadly, the work of
the Court is often acknowledged by
the interest international courts show
in learning more about our systems
and programs.
As some of you may be aware,
members of the Irish Court
Services (pictured below) visited
the Court last month. Their Chief
Executive Officer, PJ Fitzpatrick and
Information and Communication
Director, John Coyle, met with
myself and other members of staff.
They also met with the Chief Justice.
The Irish Court Services are just one
of many courts from around the
world that have shown an interest in
the work of this Court.
Other international delegations have
included members of the Indonesian,
Chinese and Singaporean court
systems. These groups come to
Australia to learn more about our
jurisdiction and take those learnings
back to their own countries.
Topics of interest are usually
broad and range from information
technology, court governance, case
management, alternate dispute
resolution to more specialist policy
projects such as the Mental Health
Support Program, cultural diversity
and family violence.
They are also interested in the
legal initiatives of the Court such
as the Magellan Program and Less
Adversarial Trials.
In recent years judges and senior
staff members of the Court have
taken part in overseas delegations to
assist with the development of other
court systems and deliver training in
areas of Australian expertise.
It is a two-way process, and this
Court also seeks to learn from other
jurisdictions around the world.
RICHARD FOSTER
For example in 2003, the Family
Court’s examination of courts
in Western Europe, particularly
Germany, led to the development
of the Children’s Cases Project pilot
and what ultimately became the
Less Adversarial Trial.
The Family Court of Australia is
a world leading Court on many
fronts and all staff should feel proud
our work is being noticed and
acknowledged widely.
National Support Office
staff members meet with
members of the Irish Court
Services.
Back: Stephen Andrew and
Sue Lynch of NSO.
Front: CEO Richard Foster
with PJ Fitzpatrick and John
Coyle of the Irish Court
Services.
Family Court of Australia
7

8
10 years TechNews of Indigenous service
Mobile Computing....
flexible alternatives to meet
computing needs
Imagine being able to access the work systems you
need at any place or any time.
For those in the Court that need access to
information systems around the clock, the
Information, Communication and Technology
Services (IC&TS) is currently considering the Court’s
mobile computing needs and capabilities.
The focus is on the role of the individual, their work
practices and the range of mobile technologies that
will best support them. Some technologies permit
access to data such as documents, others permit
access to systems such as e-mail and core business
applications.
o Access to data can be achieved with
technologies such as floppy disks, optical disks
or USB (Universal Serial Bus) storage devices.
These devices are light, relatively inexpensive
and do not normally require power. Floppy
disks are now considered a ‘legacy technology’
and notebook and desktop computers now
typically come without floppy disk drives.
o Access to systems can be delivered with
devices or technology such as desktop
computers, notebooks, PDAs (Personal Digital
Assistant) and VPN (Virtual Private Network).
Some of these technologies, when used with
Citrix, also permit access to data.
“It’s about flexibility and ensuring judges and
staffers understand what alternatives are available,“
Paul Stace, Infrastructure Manager said.
“We are working to support them through the
delivery of a range of services including network
services, hardware, and access to support in a
timely way.”
An example of this is the work Leo McCann of
IC&TS is currently undertaking with a representative
group of PC and notebook users to test new options
and models.
“Needs based service provision is about providing
technological solutions which match the real
business requirements of the individual based on a
profile of their needs. This should result in delivering
the precise services required rather than a one size
fits all approach,” he said.
Leo said factors taken into account include – the
amount of time workers spend away from their
primary place of work, amount of work done at
home, internet access, and the need for such services
as emailing and access to documents.
IC&TS survey update
At the time of writing 303 people have responded to
the IC&TS survey.
IC&TS are pleased with the response and believe this
reflects the importance you place on your IT needs
and the opportunity to have a say.
The results are positive and next TechNews will carry
more detail.
Safety in the workplace
A review of all Occupational Health and Safety
(OH&S) positions and procedures is currently being
undertaken to ensure each registry has the required
number of suitably trained officers.
This is part of the Court’s commitment to a safe
workplace for all employees.
At the completion of the review, updated contact
lists will be available on the Intranet and will also
be displayed in each registry.
For more information contact Jacki Agius in Human
Resources on 02 6243 8625.
For further information: Paula Tychsen ~ Communications Office o T 02 6243 8691 o F 02 6243 8711
COURTSIDE ~ May March 2005 2007
GPO Box 9991, Canberra City ACT 2601 o Or visit us on the web: www.familycourt.gov.au