Unfeasible fees
THE FAMILY Court Proceedings Reform Bill makes the following changes to proceedings involving the care of children:
All parties to a dispute over children must use the Family Dispute Resolution Service with fees of $897. In most cases it is currently free to access the Family Court and its counselling services. If people cannot afford the new fees or they do not use an approved family dispute resolution provider, their case cannot be heard by a Family Court judge.
Lawyer for children appointments will be limited. If child safety issues are not raised, it will be unlikely that the court will appoint a lawyer to act for the child. Children’s concerns will be overlooked and they will effectively be silenced in decisions relating to them.
People will have limited rights to have lawyers act for them. Access to lawyers will be denied for most disputes over children even where there is domestic violence, sexual abuse, and drug/alcohol issues.
These changes will have a significant impact on families, children and vulnerable people in family disputes. Denying families access to justice will lead to increased conflict, domestic violence, unresolved disputes for children and serious issues for children being overlooked. It is our opinion that this will result in higher costs for the state. The reforms are a false economy. The deadline for people to make written submissions to Parliament is February 13, 2013. THERE HAVE been interesting discussions in the Sunday StarTimes on Family Court chaos and the Reform Bill currently before Parliament by Tony Wall and Steve Kilgallon this month. I have been working at the coalface supporting those going through the Family Court for many years. This would be one of the more demanding Christmas seasons I have experienced. This maybe in a small part due to living in Christchurch. However, this increased demand for community support can be laid at the increased shambles in the organisation of the Family Court (by Tony Wall on December 2) and the fashionable regime of shared care rulings (by Steve Kilgallon, December 16) regardless of personal circumstances. There is a failure of many to recognise that the individuals before the court experience not only physical and mental abuse from their former partners but also the systemic abuse of a Family Court which determines them as neurotic, alienating and over-protective. This is a double whamy for consumers.
The question that must be addressed is how is the Family Proceedings Reform Bill currently before Parliament going to address either of these matters in a meaningful way. Those considering this Bill need to conscientiously and creatively assist separated parents to work fairly and effectively together for the benefit of all family members involved.
If you want to step forward to something stupid you might like to take up where Fair Go left off a few years ago with the story that anyone can take the registration number of your car and register ownership, no paper work, no signatures. This also allowed for your car to be stolen and the thief to register ownership and you don’t even have a car to complain about. I am only the registered user, so who owns the car?