Isolation amidst the COVID-19 pandemic can be a frightening proposition if you are experiencing family violence. Whilst for most of us our home is a haven, for 1 in 6 Australian women it is a place of fear. We have seen from China’s experience that family violence incidents surged following the forced lockdown period. In different circumstances, … Read more
This week we have been inundated by media reports of the untimely and horrific deaths of Hannah Baxter and her three children, Lainah (aged 6), Aaliyah (4) and Trey (3). We know that we are losing more than 1 woman a week to family violence in Australia, but the loss of an entire family, including … Read more
How many family law inquiries do we need to understand the significance of family violence, and the flaws in our family law system? “There are people out there who are nothing but liars and who will use that in the court system…. I am hearing too many cases where parents are using domestic violence to … Read more
By Cano Ergun (Trainee Lawyer) and Kristina Antoniades (Special Counsel) On 24 July 2019 the Magistrates’ Court of Victoria (MCV) and the Children’s Court of Victoria implemented two important changes in relation to family violence intervention orders. These are: Updated standard conditions for family violence intervention orders (FVIO); and Information sheets to be attached to … Read more
On 29 March 2018, the remaining provisions of the Family Violence Protection Amendment Act 2017 (the Amending Act) commenced. These amendments implement the recommendations of the Family Violence Royal Commission (Royal Commission) and now form part of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) (the Act). The amendments provide for: better explanations of interim and … Read more
Monica Blizzard joined me recently on JOY Law to talk about the very serious topic of family violence. During the show, we discussed: the alarming statistics regarding the incidence of family violence in Australia; defining patterns of behaviour; legislative change to protect against all forms of violence – not just physical violence; and getting support … Read more
