Final Report launched today!
I am thrilled to announce that our Final Report into family violence laws has been launched today by both the Federal Attorney-General Robert McClelland and the NSW Attorrney General John Hatzistergos, and it is now official! The Report, Family Violence—a National Legal Response, makes 187 recommendations for reform, and comes in two volumes—plus a Summary Report to provide an accessible overview of the policy framework and recommendations in the full report (very easy to put into a briefcase for reading on a flight between Canberra and any capital city throughout the country!)
I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have helped the ALRC and NSWLRC in developing our recommendations, whether through consulting with us, participating in one of our online forums, making a submission or merely by maintaining an interest in this Inquiry through your subscription to this newsletter. As our first Chair said once, ‘law reform is much too important to leave to the experts’ and we are extremely grateful for your engagement in our processes.
It’s worth mentioning that on the same day of the launch, the Commonwealth Attorney-General released a draft of a number of significant reforms to the Family Law Act, drawing upon the work of Professor Richard Chisholm and the Family Law Council, published at the end of January 2010, and also the work in the Consultation Paper in this Inquiry, anticipating the direction of some of the possible reforms.
You are now able to purchase a hard copy and CD-ROM of the Final Report and Report Summary from the ALRC’s website. Both documents are of course freely accessible to read or download at the ALRC’s website. You will also find a podcast interview with myself and journalist Michael Pelly, where we outline the key recommendations of the Report. Any feedback you have on the report and its recommendations is very welcome. Email: feedback@alrc.gov.au.
As the Family Violence Inquiry is now officially over, this is the last e-newsletter you will receive from us. There are links on the right-hand side to publications and media items around the launch, and over the next few days we will be adding more on the website, so please do check in. We also encourage you to subscribe to the e-newsletter for our new follow-on inquiry, Family Violence and Commonwealth laws (see below).
~ ALRC President, Professor Rosalind Croucher
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New Inquiry: Family violence and Commonwealth laws (FV2)
During the Family Violence Inquiry, issues arose that were beyond its scope relating to the impact of Commonwealth laws (other than the Family Law Act 1975) on those experiencing family violence. In July 2010, the ALRC was given new Terms of Reference. The ALRC has been asked to report on the treatment of family/domestic violence in Commonwealth laws, including child support and family assistance law, immigration law, employment law, social security law, superannuation law and privacy provisions in relation to those experiencing family/domestic violence.
Now that the work for the original Family Violence Inquiry is complete, work on this new Family Violence inquiry (FV2) has commenced. The reporting date is November 2011.
If you would like to be kept up to date about this inquiry, please SUBSCRIBE to the new FV2 e-newsletter.
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