Changes to Family Law are necessary

Catholic Welfare Australia welcomes the release of the Government’s Discussion Paper “A New Approach to the Family Law System: Implementation of Reforms” made public today by the Attorney-General, Mr Philip Ruddock and the Minister for Family and Community Services, Senator Kay Patterson.

Catholic Welfare Australia is one of three Industry Representative Bodies providing services to families with the assistance of funding provided by the Department of Family and Community Services within the Family Relationships Services Program.

“As a national network, Catholic Welfare Australia has been providing services to families for over 60 years and we welcome the opportunity to contribute to the national debate around the future of the Family Law System in this country,” said the Executive Director of Catholic Welfare Australia, Mr Frank Quinlan.

“There are two strong themes that seem to underpin this discussion paper that reflect the experience of our agencies. The first is that the breakdown of the family unit has ramifications far beyond legal issues and should not be treated as simply a legal problem. Families need access to a whole range of support services. The second is that family breakdown has an impact on the lives of not only the couple involved but also the children, the grandparents and the extended family network, all of whom require support,” said Mr Quinlan.

“Catholic Welfare Australia has already drawn together some of its key providers of Family Relationship Services to explore the issues raised by the discussion paper and we look forward to making a submission to Government on issues of concern to separating families across Australia,” he concluded.

Media inquiries to: Jackie Brady on 0417 220 779