Fed: Scrap $200m divorce reforms, report urges

AAP General News (Australia)
04-12-2006
Fed: Scrap $200m divorce reforms, report urges

(EDS: Embargoed until 0001 AEST on Wednesday, April 12, 2006)



By Robin Pash

CANBERRA, April 12 AAP - The federal government is wasting $200 million on family law
reform centres that will not be used by 95 per cent of separating couples, new research
suggests.

The study by the Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), a public policy think tank,
found the federal government's plans to establish a network of Family Relationship Centres
would duplicate existing services determining custody issues involving children in separated
relationships.

The CIS said the new service would not be needed by 95 per cent of separating couples
and would do nothing to improve the divorce process.

In an effort to make divorce involving child custody less adversarial, the government
is setting up 65 centres nationwide to provide dispute resolution services before cases
go to court.

The system, part of the biggest shake-up to family law in more than 30 years, forces
couples on the verge of a break-up to seek mediation and develop parenting plans that
allow children to spend time with both parents.

The system aims to make the Family Court a place of last resort, dealing with only
the most difficult cases involving child custody.

But CIS researcher Arti Sharma found the centres would be a waste of resources and
money and the program should be scrapped.

"They are being established so that the government is seen to be doing something about
the divorce process, but in reality these centres will do nothing at all to improve the
system," she said.

Requiring couples to develop parenting plans ahead of a court case was sound, Ms Sharma
said, but how the plans were developed should be left to the parents.

"Only after couples have tried to resolve parenting issues and failed is there any
need for compulsory dispute resolution," she said.

"By making dispute resolution compulsory for divorcing couples who do not need help,
the government is reaching new levels of paternalistic intervention."

The report found the centres would needlessly duplicate relationship services already
available through community providers.

"The danger is that this will end up destroying the community sector's independence,
wasting taxpayers' money and hindering rather than helping couples who need assistance
with the divorce process," Ms Sharma said.

"Family Relationship Centres represent the incorporation of private, voluntary and
community services into an intrusive bureaucracy."

Ms Sharma said there was a danger the new centres would overlook more difficult cases
in favour of simpler ones.

The report said the reforms were well intentioned, but good outcomes were "highly doubtful".

Attorney-General Philip Ruddock last week invited a small group of mainly church-run
welfare groups to operate the first 15 centres.

AAP rp/so/jm/de

KEYWORD: DIVORCE (EMBARGOED)

2006 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.