Course overview
Family law is the law that governs the creation and breakdown of family relationships. It is a complex and important area of law which affects a significant number of Australia families. This course focuses on the work of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, and its predecessors, and other courts exercising jurisdiction under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth). It examines the key legal and social issues arising out of family creation and separation. It aims to give students a broad understanding of the principles and processes of Australian family law that are relevant to family law in practice. Because society is constantly evolving, family law is also continuously developing. Students will consider the historical and social issues underpinning family law policy and investigate the extent to which the law is able to address the needs of modern families, including through recent reforms to law and practice, current debates, and other areas in which reform may be desirable.
Course learning outcomes
- Apply principles of family law to complex, hypothetical factual disputes
- Identify legal and social issues to provide advice to a hypothetical client to advance their interests
- Evaluate the ability of current law and processes to resolve family law disputes and advance the interests of parties and children