On 11 May 2021, the Morrison Government announced significant funding to the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia as part of the 2021-22 Budget. In addition to important judicial support and reform measures, over $100 million dollars of resources will be invested into the Family Law system over the next four years. It is intended that this funding will reduce delays, and improve safety outcomes that will lead to significant benefits for people involved in Family Law disputes.
This is one of the largest single resourcing injections that the Courts have ever received. Immediately afterwards, we note that the Court has advertised multiple positions in both administration and for Court Registrars on job search sites.
The significant boost of funding will be applied to the many initiatives that the Court is undertaking to introduce best practice case management that assists parties to narrow and resolve their issues earlier to save time, stress and costs. Funding will also be allocated to provide more legal and social support for people experiencing domestic and family violence.
The Chief Justice of the Family Court of Australia and Chief Judge of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, the Hon Will Alstergren stated, “This is very good news for the Australian public. For too long, we have endured a less than ideal system, and with the injection of such substantial resources, I am confident that the Courts can start to address the unacceptable delays litigants have faced for many years.”
For more information on this topic, see the Family Court’s Media Release dated 12 May 2021 or the Attorney General’s Media Release dated 11 May 2021.