Family law update

The Australian Government's reform of the federal family law system takes a more concrete form with the passage of amendments to the Family Law Act (1975) and the announcement of mooted changes to the child support scheme. With a similarly busy reform agenda, the states and territories move towards a more encompassing definition of family. This family law update provides information on modernising the Child Support Scheme, the assent to the Commonwealth Powers (De Facto Relationships) Bill 2004 (Vic) which brings Australia one step closer to having a uniform family law jurisdiction for married and de facto couples who separate, and broadening the definition of de facto by South Australia to include same sex couples in a range of state provisions impacting on families and couples.