Bill
Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2019
passed, as at 2021-03-01. Attorney-General portfolio.
- Sponsor
- Not recorded
- Portfolio
- Attorney-General
Recorded stages
- introduced — 2019-12-05
- second reading — 2019-12-05
- second reading — 2020-11-30
- second reading — 2020-12-01
- second reading — 2020-12-01
- third reading — 2020-12-01
- introduced — 2020-12-02
- second reading — 2020-12-02
- second reading — 2021-02-16
- second reading — 2021-02-17
- second reading — 2021-02-17
- committee — 2021-02-17
- third reading — 2021-02-17
- other — 2021-02-18
- passed — 2021-02-18
- royal assent — 2021-03-01
Divisions
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2019 - Second Reading - Agree with bill's main idea — 2020-12-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 62, noes 59
- Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2019 - Third Reading - Pass the bill — 2020-12-01, House of Representatives: affirmative, ayes 62, noes 59
Plain-language summary
Written by a model from the explanatory memorandum; not the record, as at 2019-12-05.
This bill makes changes to other laws and sets up temporary rules to support the creation of a new federal family court system.
It would merge the Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court into a single court with two divisions, called the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
After two years, judges of each division would make their own court rules.
- Amends the Family Law Act 1975 to keep it working with the new court structure.
- Amends the Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 to align it with the new court bill.
- Repeals the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999 because its provisions are now in the new court bill.
- Provides a framework to transfer the titles and appointments of judges and personnel from the old courts to the new divisions.
- Sets up transitional arrangements for family law appeals that are ongoing or eligible to be filed when the new court starts.
- Ensures that any first-instance proceedings already in the old courts will be heard in the corresponding new division.
Judges, court personnel, and families involved in federal family law disputes.
Sources
em
em supp
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frl act