News and media centre

Registry opening hours from Wednesday 25 December 2024 to Tuesday 7 January 2025 for all Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia registries and contact information during this time.

The Chief Justice has issued Family Law Practice Direction – Defaulters’ List. The purpose of the Defaulters’ List is to ensure compliance with the rules of court, and any case management orders and directions made by a Registrar in family law or child support proceedings. The Defaulters’ List is intended to further the overarching purpose of family law practice and procedure.

The Courts have made a minor amendment to a large number of family law forms to introduce a 'filed in' check box option for the FCFCOA (Division 1) and the FCFCOA (Division 2).

The Chief Justice has approved updates to four family law forms; Notice of Address for Service, Notice of Ceasing to Act, Subpoena – family law and Proposed Consent orders template

The Court seeks to draw several matters to the attention of arbitrators and practitioners seeking to register arbitral awards

JCAC welcomes submissions from interested parties on changes to the quantum of costs allowable to legal practitioners under each court’s scale of costs.

The fees payable in the Federal Circuit and Family Court are changing from 1 July

The fees payable in the Federal Circuit and Family Court are changing from 1 July

Update regarding urgent Initiating Application cannot be eFiled through the Commonwealth Courts Portal currently without all of the documents set out in paragraph 2.5 of the Family Law Practice Direction: Parenting Proceedings and paragraph 2.6 of the Family Law Practice Direction: Financial Proceedings being filed.

With today’s commencement of the Family Law Amendment Act 2023 and the Family Law (Information Sharing) Act 2023, amendments have taken effect to four practice directions: Central Practice Direction: Family Law Case Management, Family Law Practice Direction: Parenting Proceedings, Family Law Practice Direction: Financial Proceedings and Family Law Practice Direction: Critical Incident List. In addition, the COVID-19 List Practice Direction has been revoked.

Today the Courts are providing an update in relation to amendments to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Family Law) Rules 2021 (Family Law Rules).

A number of court forms require amendments due to the commencement of the Family Law Amendment Act 2023 and the Family Law (Information Sharing) Act 2023 (the Family Law Act Amendments). Some forms have had new questions added or the structure of the form has changed. Other forms have only had minor changes to legislation references (sections of the Family Law Act) or words in the instruction pages. To allow parties and practitioners to prepare for the changes, copies of the new forms are hyperlinked below. They should be filed on or after 6 May 2024.

Changes to the Family Law Act due to the commencement of the Family Law Amendment Act 2023 and Family Law Amendment (Information Sharing) Act 2023 commence on 6 May 2024.

This week the Courts have published the updated Family Violence Plan and Family Violence Best Practice Principles.
Both documents have been updated on the advice of the Courts’ Family Violence Committee. They set out the Courts’ commitment to identifying and managing family violence, the actions the Courts will take, and practical guidance to assist court users, legal practitioners and other stakeholders to understand how family violence is managed by the Courts.
The Family Violence Plan refines and updates the last plan issued in 2019. The Best Practice Principles are the 5th iteration, having first been published in 2009.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 1) and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Division 2) are pleased to advise that in response to feedback from the profession, and as part of the Courts’ commitment to modernising court processes, we are introducing eFiling for family law 'Requests to issue a subpoena'. Initially, eFiling will only be available for subpoenas seeking the production of documents where there is an ongoing family law final orders application.