RFFJ Comment: The amendments made in Australia to offer fairer shared parenting outcomes are under attack by the current government following a report they have had commissions following a tragic case of a father killing his child after being awarded shared parenting.

Once again we see individual violent acts by individuals and failing Family Courts being used to condemn all separated and divorced fathers as violent and not worthy of being treated with equity in the Family Courts.

This Australian backlash is something the International equal parenting campaigns should now pay attention to, and unite in efforts to ensure shared parenting and equality in family law is not derailed by associating violence with the majority of good fathers willing and able to care for their children after separation & divorce.



The real issue is how ineffective the family legal and support systems deal with real violence, claims of abuse and false/malicious allegations. The risk assessment and processes for dealing with violent parents are not adequate, and it is these that need reforming and investing in.

The systems that may well support shared parenting and equality for parents are still failing children, as they will continue to allow violent and abusive parents slip through the net to abuse the system and thus perpetrate violence and abuse on the other parties, with terrible consequences for all involved.

This is why RFFJ never demand a single reform on shared parenting in isolation. We insist that the entire family justice system be completely reformed as a whole to avoid the issue of law of unintended consequences.

If the Australian system has shown to have failed children and mothers, as the newspapers below claim, this is no reason to rule out equality and shared parental rights for parents. Children deserve their parents to be empowered to maintain their role in their lives and also able to be held accountable and responsible for that role. It is the very erosion of parental rights and the inability to parent after separation and divorce that is creating a broken class of one parent families where children lose one parent for no good reason. This not only affects the families involved but has a negative effect on society as a whole.

Here are the news articles and links to the report:

News articles & comment:

Dads 'not entitled to shared parenting'
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/dads-not-entitled-to-shared-parenting/story-e6frf7jx-1225824407249

Separated fathers face access changes after Chisholm report
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/separated-fathers-face-access-changes-after-chisholm-report/story-e6frg6nf-1225824395007

Call to end shared custody: Chisholm report
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/call-to-end-shared-custody-chisholm-report/story-e6frg6nf-1225824495340

Dads face tough fight for kids under proposed new custody laws
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/dads-face-tough-fight-for-kids-under-proposed-new-custody-laws/story-e6frf7jo-1225824483166

Children 'at risk' in shared parenting
http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/children-at-risk-in-shared-parenting/story-e6freuy9-1225824478914

Family violence report takes aim at 'troublesome' shared parenting laws
http://www.theage.com.au/national/family-violence-report-takes-aim-at-troublesome-shared-parenting-laws-20100128-n1d5.html

Fathers vow to unite and fight family law reversal
http://www.smh.com.au/national/fathers-vow-to-unite-and-fight-family-law-reversal-20100129-n494.html


The Reports:

Chisholm Report:
http://resources.news.com.au/files/2010/01/28/1225824/414897-chisholmreport.doc

Australian Institutes of Family Studies
http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/pubs/fle/
http://www.aifs.gov.au/institute/media/media100128.html (Media Release)

Australian Family Law Council
http://www.crimeprevention.gov.au/www/agd/agd.nsf/Page/FamilyLawCouncil_Publications_ReportstotheAttorney-General_ImprovingPost-ParentingOrderProcesses
http://www.crimeprevention.gov.au/www/agd/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/(CFD7369FCAE9B8F32F341DBE097801FF)~Family+Law+Council+-+IPPOP+report.PDF/$file/Family+Law+Council+-+IPPOP+report.PDF