Australian Criminal Law The international US story of a 34-year-old female teacher (Letourneau) who seduced one of her 12-year-old students (Fualaau) into a relationship raises clear questions as to how this situation would be dealt with under Australian Criminal Law. Letourneau originally pleaded guilty to two counts of felony second-degree rape of a child in 1997 and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment as a result. As this is a US case, the legal position is slightly different in the...
Understanding Shared Parental Responsibility Shared parental responsibility is governed by the Family Law Act, which determines where children should live and how much time they should spend with each parent or other significant adults in their lives. This law, implemented in 2006, emphasises the need for both parents to consult and agree on major decisions affecting their children. Key Principles of the Legislation The legislation in Queensland outlines that: Parenting is a Shared Responsibility: The law generally requires parents to...
