30th May 2011 – Representatives Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill 2011 - Consideration in Detail - Repeal of 'friendly parent' provision

The majority voted against amendments introduced by Liberal MP Michael Keenan. This means that they were rejected.

Mr Keenan explains that the amendments "relate to the government's proposed repeal of the criteria misleadingly described as the 'friendly parent' provision." That provision "requires family courts to consider the willingness of one parent towards facilitating the other to have a meaningful relationship with the child" and has been criticised for potentially discouraging disclosures of family violence. Mr Keenan disputes this criticism and opposes the repeal of the provision.(Read Mr Keenan's full explanation and the related debate here, after 1:35 pm. )

Background to the bill

The bill aimed to protect children and families at risk of violence or abuse by amending the Family Law Act 1975. To do this, it introduced amendments such as:

• prioritising the safety of children in parenting matters;
• including harmful behaviour in the definitions of ‘abuse’ and ‘family violence’;
• requiring family consultants, family counsellors, family dispute resolution practitioners and legal practitioners to prioritise the safety of children; and
• placing additional reporting requirements on certain parties to provide evidence to courts.(Read more about the bill, including its explanatory memorandum, here. More information about the background to the bill is in the bills digest.)