Review of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021

The Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP
Media Release

I am pleased to announce the appointments of the Hon Linda Dessau AC CVO and Professor Helen Rhoades OAM to conduct the review of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021. The review is required by section 284 of the Act.

The Government is committed to the ongoing improvement of Australia’s family courts to ensure that family law matters are resolved safely, quickly and inexpensively. The review will also consider the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia’s general federal law jurisdiction.

This review will assess:

  • the impact of the structural reforms to the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia
  • any aspects of the FCFCOA Act that have had unintended impacts on the operation or the effectiveness of the courts' federal family law and general federal law jurisdiction, procedure or jurisprudence, and
  • whether the operation of the Act can be improved through legislative amendments or other non-legislative changes, including structural changes.

Ms Dessau and Professor Rhoades are eminently qualified to conduct this review. Ms Dessau was the Governor of Victoria for eight years and a Judge of the Family Court of Australia for 18 years. Professor Rhoades is an Honorary Professorial Fellow at the Melbourne Law School and a former Chair of the Family Law Council and Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission on its review of the family law system.

The terms of reference are available on the Attorney-General's Department website.