Dad bids to alleviate strain of child access
A CAIRNS man is leading a local movement to change the Family Court system and help fathers more easily obtain access to their children from failed relationships.
For three-and-a-half days every week, Thomas Hone is allowed to enjoy the company of his three-year-old daughter and fulfil his commitment as a father.
But having shared access to his little girl has taken three years in court and cost him more than $200,000 in legal fees, requiring him to mortgage his house.
The 30-year-old shipping worker is the frustrated face of a system which he believes is taking a huge financial and emotional toll on thousands of families across Far North Queensland and beyond.
Mr Hone’s long custody battle motivated him to become the region’s leader of a nationwide lobby group which is hoping to bring about changes to the Family Court system.
The Australian Brotherhood of Fathers is behind a push for a new legislation to make child access easier for fathers who feel unfairly treated in child disputes.
“We’re trying to achieve fairness in family separation for access for both parents and making it as ideal for children as possible,” he said.
“We want to repair the flawed social policies and the system within the Family Court for family access issues.”
Mr Hone is satisfied that he and his former partner now share the care of their daughter on a 50-50 basis, but the negotiations have taken 27 court appearances and been a huge financial burden.
For several months, the only access he could have to his daughter was for one hour, twice week, sitting on a picnic blanket in the middle of a Cairns shopping centre.
The strict child access rules imposed on him by the Family Court were a result of two “unfounded” domestic violence claims against him which were eventually withdrawn.
“The domestic violence claims were used at the time, I believe, to prevent me having access to my child,” he said. “In the first year, I was paying tens of thousands of dollars on lawyers to be able to see my child, to be able to try and maintain a relationship with my daughter, so that she knew who I was.
“It was having an effect on me and the people around me as well and the financial burden was extremely difficult.”
The ABF has about 30 members in Cairns and Gold Coast-based founder Leith Erikson said there was 16,000 supporters around Australia. Federal MP Warren Entsch has shown support for the cause, while fellow MPs George Christensen and John Madigan have spearheaded a review into the child support system.