Children Vaccination Update in Australia In the midst of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the Australian Government recently announced that children aged 5 to 11 are now eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccinations, should their parents wish for them to. But what happens if you and your former partner cannot agree…
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What is a Mutual Wills? Mutual wills are considered a ‘legally binding contract’ between two people that are drafted in terms agreed upon by both parties and cannot be revoked or amended by either party without the agreement of the other. This means that following the death of the first party, the wills are irrevocable and…
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What are Consent Orders? A Consent Order is made by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia formalising an agreement reached between parties after separation about parenting and/or property matters. A parenting order will only become legally binding if deemed to be in the best interests of the child. As a legally binding Order, each person affected by the Order must follow it.…
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Binding Financial Agreements & Will drafting essentials Will drafting is an important skill to possess as a junior solicitor. Unfortunately, you don’t always get the opportunity to refine your drafting skills in university which makes the leap into real-life practise particularly daunting. The key question here is; what components are necessary to appropriately prepare wills as a…
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From 1 September 2021 the Federal Circuit Court and Family Court of Australia has implemented new Pre-Action Procedures that must be adhered to and followed prior to anyone commencing Court proceedings. The aim of the Pre-Action Procedures are to give the matter a chance at resolving amicably before the pathway…
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In a recent Appeal of a decision of the Family Court of Australia, the Appellant Court reviewed orders between the parties in respect of their two children under Pt VII of the Family Law Act 1975. The orders made provision for the children to live with the mother and for her to have…
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Unfortunately, statistics are on the rise for family violence in contemporary Australian society, with studies determining that individuals are most at risk at the time of or shortly following separation. Usually this is as a result of increased stress, financial pressure and uncertainty surrounding the family breakdown. The uncertainty of…
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In parenting matters, the Court’s main focus is making orders that align with the children’s best interests as this remains the paramount consideration. But how does the Court determine what is in the best interests of the child? There is no hard and fast rule for this. Each case is…
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Did you know that you need to have a mediation certificate before you can commence Court proceedings seeking parenting orders? The mediation certificate is also known as a Section 60I Certificate and is issued by registered family dispute resolution providers in the following circumstances: To confirm both parties attended mediation…
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The adoption process in Queensland is managed by the government organisation Adoption Services Queensland. A child’s Stepparent (being either married or in a de facto relationship with the parent of the child) can make an application to adopt the child if they can satisfy the below criteria: The Stepparent is…
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