Family law is "the area of law relating to the regulation of domestic or personal relationships and the consequences that flow from the end of such relationships. Family law is concerned with matters such as the welfare of children, property and maintenance disputes between married or de facto partners, and legal termination of marital relationships through divorce or annulment. The Family Court of Australia, the Federal Circuit Court of Australia, and the Family Court of Western Australia are the main courts exercising family law jurisdiction." (From the Encyclopaedic Australian Legal Dictionary)
See also The Law Handbook 2024 - 'Relationships, families and young people'
Look at Halsbury's Laws of Australia - Title 205 Family Law and Lexis Practical Guidance AU Family for guidance and forms.
Resources
Australian Family Law in Context : Commentary and Materials by Publication Date: 8th ed, 2023Australian Family Law Act 1975: With Rules and Regulations by
Publication Date: 38th ed, 2023
The Family Law Handbook by Publication Date: 5th, 2019
Annotated Family Law Legislation by Publication Date: 5th ed, 2019
Australian master family law guidePublication Date: 10th ed, 2019
Family Law Principles by Publication Date: 3rd ed, 2021
- Australian Family Law and Practice Premium Commentary (CCH iKnowConnect)Navigate to 'Your practice areas' and select 'Family law' to view relevant commentary.
Use the case citator CaseBase or Westlaw Australia (Cases) to find specific cases from Australian courts.
- Australian Family Law Cases (CCH iKnowConnect)Navigate to 'Your practice areas' and select 'Family law' to view relevant Australian family law Cases decided by the High Court of Australia, Family Court of Australia, Federal Circuit Court, Family Court of Western Australia and State and Territory Supreme Courts.
- Family Law ReportsSelected judgments from the Family Court, the Federal Magistrates Court and all other superior courts in which matters relating to family law are decided
Court judgments (unreported)
International Journals
- Canadian Journal of Family LawJurisdiction: Canada
- Child and Family QuarterlyJurisdiction: United Kingdom
- Family Law QuarterlyJurisdiction: United States
- International Journal of Law, Policy and the FamilyJurisdiction: International
- Journal of Law and Family StudiesJurisdiction: United States
- New Zealand Family Law JournalJurisdiction: New Zealand
- Family Law for the Future — An Inquiry into the Family Law System: Final Report (2019 report)Australian Law Reform Commission comprehensive review into the family law system
- Structural Reform of the Federal Courts (2019)Information on the structural reform of the federal family law courts.
- Family Violence Plan - Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia (2023-2026)The Family Violence Plan is an overarching document setting out important actions to be undertaken by the Courts to ensure best practice in all areas of administration, operation and application of the law. It covers areas as diverse as building layout, security screening, risk assessment, safety planning for individual litigants as well as education and training of staff and the judiciary.
- A Better Family Law System to Support and Protect those Affected by Family Violence (2017 report)Parliament of Australia. Includes terms of reference, submissions, public hearings and final report
- Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (2017 report)Contains research, roundtables, consultation papers, speeches, issue papers and practical guidelines, and final report
- Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child AbductionEntry into force for Australia: 1 January 1987
- Global Women’s Leadership Project - UN Women’s Family Law Database (PennLaw)Clearing house of information on laws that govern women’s status in the family developed by the Global Women’s Leadership Project (GWLP).
- International Encyclopaedia of Laws: Family and Succession LawThis comprehensive comparative subset of the International Encyclopaedia of Laws (IEL) covers family law together with marital property law and succession law
- The Routledge handbook of international family lawProvide a broad but authoritative review of current research in the area of International Family Law
- Australian Federal Police Family Law KitContains general information in summary form on Family Law orders including forms, links and publications
- Australian Government Family Law SystemContains links to government information about Australia's family law system and the family courts
- Best Practice Guidelines For Lawyers Doing Family Law WorkPrepared by the Family Law Council and Family Law Section of the Law Council of Australia
- Family Law CouncilThe Family Law Council advises and makes recommendations to the Attorney-General about the workings of the Family Law Act and other matters
- Family Violence Law eLearning - Intersections (VLA)Interactive training module with three learning streams aimed primarily at criminal lawyers, family lawyers and child protection lawyers.
- National Domestic and Family Violence Bench BookOnline resource providing best practice in dealing with family and domestic violence matters
Research at Monash
- Faculty of Law - Dr Becky BatagolDr Becky Batagol is a researcher and teacher with a focus on family law, family violence, non-adversarial justice, dispute resolution, gender, child protection and constitutional law.
- Faculty of Law - Dr Adiva SifrisAssociate Professor Adiva Sifris has written widely in the area of family law, both in relation to children and property, with a particular focus on de facto relationships, same-sex parenting and family violence.
Marital Rights: The Library of Essays on Family Rights by Call Number: eBookISBN: 1351559184Publication Date: 2016Part 1: Chapter 1 Marriage: a human right for all? by Adiva Sifris, Paula Gerber and Kristine Tay
