Useful Links

Children / Parenting / Family

• Australian Institute of Family Studies is the Australian Governments key research body in the area of family wellbeing.
• Best For Kids is a good family law resource and material for children, including videos on independent children lawyers and family reports.
• Child support care percentage estimator
• Child Support Agency provides child support assessment information including an easy way to find, estimate and compare payments, as well as to locate services.
• Children Beyond Dispute is a resource and training hub for child focussed pathways through divorce and separation.
• Estimate of Income for use in Child Support Assessment form
• Family Relationships Australia has free mediations options and other useful family law resources.
• Family Relationships Advice Line is a free help line that can provide information, advice and guidance during separation.
• Reconnect ReCreate Art Therapy program in Coffs Harbour provides supervised visits to assist children from separated families to spend time with their parents in a safe, creative, healing space.

Court

• Family Court of Australia has information of court forms, court contact details and other family law information. (See also Fact Sheets below)
• Federal Circuit Court of Australia has information of court forms, court contact details and other family law information. (See also Fact Sheets below)

Fact Sheets & Resources

Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia provide fact sheets on a range of Family Law matters.  Links to these fact sheets can be found below:

• Before You File: Pre-action Procedure for Financial Cases
• Child Dispute Conferences
• Child Inclusive Conferences
• Conciliation Conference
• Exposure to Family Violence and its Effect on Children
• Family Consultants
• Family Reports
• Marriage, Families & Separation
• Parental Conflict and its Effect on Children
• Parenting Orders: Obligations, Consequences & Who Can Help

These resources are specifically designed to help you to explain to your children whey they have to see a Family Consultant:

• Why am I seeing a Family Consultant, for 5-8 year olds
• Why am I seeing a Family Consultant, for 9-12 year olds

Family Violence

• Family and Community Services (FACS) offers information and assistance and has a 24 hour domestic violence hotline.
• National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service (1800RESPECT) provides confidential information, counselling and support 24 hours a day.

Legal Aid

• Legal Aid New South Wales  provides details on how to make an application for a grant of Legal Aid.

Legislation

• Australasian Legal Information Institute
• Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989
• Child Support (Registration and Collection Act) 1988
• Family Law Act 1975
• Family Law Rules 2004
• Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999
• Federal Circuit Court Rules 2001

Property Settlement

The three key assets that must be considered in most separations are the house, car and superannuation.  These resources will help you to estimate the value of your assets.

• Realestate.com 
• Domain.com
• On the House provides estimated property valuations.
• Carsales.com
• Redbook
• ATO Superannuation has tools for keeping track of your super and finding lost super.

Reports

From time to time the Government conducts studies and/or produces reports on the state of the Family Law System.

• Parenting arrangements after separation (Oct 2019) is a report from the Australian Institute of Family Studies that provides a statistical overview of parenting arrangements over the last 10 years.

Self Care

• Better Access is a federal government initiative to improve access to mental health professionals, including a Telehealth service for rural areas.
• Beyond Blue provides support and information for people suffering from anxiety or depression.
• Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists has a directory of local psychiatrists.
• Australian Psychological Society’s Find A Psychologist helps you to access local psychologists.
• The Australian Association of Social Workers can help you Find a Social Worker.
• Headspace provides mental health and wellbeing support for adolescents.

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction is a multi-country agreement that sets out a legal procedure for seeking to return abducted children to their home country.

Australia also has bilateral agreements with Egypt and Lebanon.

The Australian Central Authority in the Attorney General’s Department can assist with cases related to Hague Convention countries or those with bilateral agreements.  The also provide a wealth of information and assistance related to:

• Overseas child abduction
• Seeking access to a child overseas

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade‘s Consular Office can provide assistance in cases outside the Hague Convention or bilateral agreements.

International Social Service Australia provides a range of services to those affected by international child abduction.

The AFP maintains a Family Law Watchlist designed to alert the police to the movement of children.

Services Australia allows you to apply for Australian child support when living outside Australia.

Services Australia has arrangements for child support with a number of reciprocating jurisdictions.

• Coffs Harbour City Council‘s website provides information on building and development approvals.
• NSW Land Registry website includes information about land titles, planning and conveyancing.
• PEXA provides information about e-conveyancing.
• Stamp Duty Calculator  can be found on the Office of State Revenue website.

• NSW Trustee and Guardian has useful information for executors, including:
  • Wills FAQs
  • Intestacy FAQs (relates to death without a Will)
  • Executor FAQs
• The Law Society of NSW also offers FAQs on Wills & Estates
• The Capacity Toolkit from the NSW Attorney General’s Department provides excellent information to understand how to assess capacity and prepare for diminished capacity.

COVID-19 Q&A Federal Circuit Court – this document answers questions that parents may have about the Court and parenting arrangements through the coronavirus crisis.

COVID-19 Q&A Family Court of Australia – this document answers questions relating to the Court and parenting arrangements through the coronavirus crisis.

10 Tips for Separated Parents during COVID-19 – these tips from the Family Law Section of the Law Council provide some good guidelines for separated parents.