Funding for new, faster hearings announced in 2017-18 Budget

Attorney General George Brandis has announced an investment of $12.7 million to establish Parenting Management Hearings (PMH) in the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court in the 2017-18 Federal Budget.

The hearings are designed to be “fast, informal and less adversarial for resolving non-complex family law disputes between self-represented parties”. In NSW, these hearings will initially take place at the Parramatta Registry.

Moving many non-complex matters to these PMH should not only relieve the wait-times of families seeking to have their dispute heard, but also reduce the work pressure on Family Court and Federal Circuit Court judges, who have a huge backlog of cases to deal with.

It is hoped that this trial will help make the legal process a simpler place for those unable to access solicitors through lack of funds.

A further $10.7 million is being provided to the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court to fund the engagement of more family consultants to assist the Court to make decisions in the best interests of children in parenting matters. This will hopefully reduce the wait time for families seeking a Family Report and lead to a faster resolution of disputes.

Written by Mark Streeter

The Director of Streeterlaw, Mark has been practicing Law since 1994. He has attained his Masters of Law in 1999 and in 2006 was awarded his Specialist Accreditation in Commercial Litigation. Mark is a member of ARITA, a graduate of the AICD and a member of AICM. A member of STEP, Mark enjoys working in the area of Wills and Estates. In 2020 Mark is the Chair of STEP NSW.

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