Preventing unlawful removal of children from Australia

Do you have concerns that your child may be removed from Australia against your permission? Have you agreed to your child traveling overseas with the other parent but there is a genuine fear that they may not return your child to Australia?

We understand that this would be a stressful situation for any parent.

If so, it may be important that you act immediately to prevent this. You will need to obtain a Family Law Watch List from the Family Law Courts preventing or limiting your child from travelling outside Australia. A Family Law Watch List is also otherwise known as an Airport Watch List. If the situation is urgent, the Courts may make an Order on an ex parte basis.

The Family Law Watch List directs the Australian Federal Police to put your child’s name on the Watch List which in effect, operates at all international departure points including sea ports until discharged by the Courts. It is crucial to note though that the Family Law Watch List does not restrict interstate travel. The Australian Federal Police will not place your child’s name on the Family Watch List without a Court Order, unless in very limited circumstances.

If a child does not have a valid passport, Australia requires the other parent’s signature on the Passport Application form. If this is the case, and you suspect the other parent may fraudulently make an Application, you may, at first instance, consider whether a Child Alert Request will suffice. A Child Alert Request is a warning to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade not to issue an Australian Passport for a child without first making further enquiries (https://www.passports.gov.au/passportsexplained/childpassports/Pages/childalerts.aspx).

If the other parent has an international passport, you can make enquiries with embassies/consulates about the possibility of the other parent obtaining an international passport for your child. If there continues to be a real risk your child could travel on an international passport, you can make an application for your child’s name to be placed on the Family Law Watch List.

When facing with an application for a Family Law Watch List, or an application for the child to travel overseas, the Courts uphold its primary consideration being the child’s best interests – Will a travel abroad be in the child’s best interest? What is the time period and reason for the intended travel? Is there a real risk that the child will not be returned to Australia? Is the intended/likely travel destination a Hague Convention country? To find out whether a country is a Hague Convention country, go to https://www.ag.gov.au/FamiliesAndMarriage/Families/InternationalFamilyLaw/Pages/HagueConventionontheCivilAspectsofInternationalChildAbduction.aspx.

On the other hand, if you are a parent considering removing a child from Australia without the other parent’s consent, or relocating overseas, you should think twice as your actions may constitute an offence punishable with imprisonment up to three years. If you wish to relocate with your child, you should consult the other parent seeking an agreement in writing, or seek Court Orders allowing your child to travel or relocate.

If you have a pressing fear that your child may be removed from Australia unlawfully, or you simply wish to know more about international travel arrangements, you can contact our attentive Family Law team on 03 9614 7111 or Melbourne@nevettford.com.au.

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Protect Your Family’s Investment

Many people choose to invest in property in Australia for their retirement, as a source of income, or to assist their children with somewhere to live. This is true of both local buyers and overseas purchasers. When you do this however, you should turn your mind to how Australian family law will consider this type property in the event that there is a separation involving yourself or your children in the future.

If a parent buys a property for their child, their child marries and then divorces, it is not as simple for the parents as getting their money back out of the property ‘dollar for dollar’. Australian family law will usually consider this assistance from a parent a type of financial contribution, not a loan, and is not inclined to repay the money as if it were a normal debt. Often people will walk away from a relationship having lost not only a lot of money themselves, but also a lot of their family’s money, resulting in increased family tension.

At Nevett Ford Lawyers, our large and experienced team advise and assist with a range of solutions to help to protect you and your family in these situations. When you purchase a property, we recommend considering a Binding Financial Agreement under the Family Law Act to protect yourself and your children, as well as ensuring loan documents are drafted to assist in recovering money if necessary. We are also able to draft Inheritance Agreements to help to protect inheritances from family law disputes in the future. We can even draft Agreements that will operate for couples who are not yet married but may do so in the future and want to make just one document to cover these different situations.

It is important to look at these types of documents and have them prepared when everything is going well, to protect you in the event of future uncertainty. Determining the right kind of document for your circumstances is a skill at which our lawyers excel, and we recommend you contact us to enable you to make this important decision in an informed manner. Our number is 03 9614 7111, or email us out of hours on melbourne@nevettford.com.au

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What is urgency for parenting cases?

Parents in the heat of family law situations will often want to know if the Court can help them with their dispute urgently. To a parent in the middle of a dispute situation – they may not have seen their child for months, or they may want to change their current arrangements – their situation may appear genuinely urgent. However, this is not the test that the Court applies in determining whether a matter should be listed urgently in front of a Judge or Registrar.

In the matter of Fowler & Glover (http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/FCCA/2016/2595.html), the Court considered what test is, and should be, applied to determining whether something should be heard urgently when it is delivered to the Court Registry to file.

In that case, the Father had not seen the child concerned since separation, with there being a delay of some more than six years between separation and the Father seeking Orders. The Father was trying to get orders made in time for his planned visit to the area where the child lived. The visit was scheduled for only a month after the Court documents were being filed. The Court empathised with the situation, but emphasised that the reality of the Court’s resources were that the Court was already overlisted (above capacity) with other matters. Nevertheless, the Court clarified that it continued to overlist urgent matters, which were described as typically involving ‘allegations of serious and immediate risk of harm to children.’

This reflects our experience. The Court will largely only overlist / list urgently parenting situations where there is the immediate risk of harm to a child. An immediate risk will usually be a threat to the safety of a child well above and beyond any harm that is suffered as a result of a delay in that child’s relationship with a parent.

A good family lawyer will be able to advise you on how to identify what are, and are not, good reasons to list urgently, and be able to make a compelling case to the Court for why urgency is justified. Our lawyers will advise you on this and other practical measures to take in relation to your situation, and are available to speak to you on 03 9614 7111 (tel:0396147111) or Melbourne@nevettford.com.au

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What age can my child decide which parent they live with or spend time with?

There is no specific age at which a child can decide who they live with or whether they choose to exercise contact to the other parent.  Children are minors until they reach 18 years of age. 

A child can express a view generally in the context of a family report writer’s meeting with them about who they want to live with and whether they wish to spend time with the parent. However, any decision regarding children's living arrangements must be made in the best interests of the child.

If you require expert advice regarding parenting matters, please contact our family law department on 03 9614 7111.

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Won’t somebody please think of the children? – issues to consider when wanting to relocate interstate

Parenting with a separated former partner can have its challenges, and one of the most polarising can be the decision of one parent to relocate across the country.

The guiding principle in this area of the family law is the best interests of a child, with the two competing primary considerations being the benefit to a child of having a meaningful relationship with both parents, and the need to protect a child from risk of harm in a variety of forms. The second consideration is ‘weighted’ more heavily than the first. There are a number of secondary considerations in the Family Law Act 1975 that are also taken into account.

From a practical standpoint, what this means is that there must be a compelling reason that a move would not benefit solely or simply a parent, but more importantly the child. Very clear consideration must be given to how, in the event of a move, a relationship with the other parent is maintained.

Reasons for a move might include greater cultural and educational opportunities, specialised services being available in the new region not available in the previous region, better family and emotional support for a child being in one region or another, or a parent being able to obtain much more fruitful employment in a new region, meaning that their child has a better chance at a greater quality of life.

Incidences of family violence and isolation for a parent in one region can also play a significant role in a proposed move. There may be very good reasons not to move as well, including cultural ties that would not be available in a new region, the loss of Indigenous connection to country should a move occur, and estrangement from a parent.

It is important if considering such a move that there be very clear communication with the other parent involved, and that intentions and reasoning are clearly set out for discussing.

You may not find that a parent confronted with such a proposal necessarily acts rationally or calmly at first, but it is important that a solid foundation and clear communication is established early on.

Every situation is different of course and you should obtain expert advice specific to your circumstances. The guide in this article is at a general level and should not be taken as legal advice for your specific circumstances. We are available to discuss these issues with parents considering making, or responding to someone proposing, such a move, at any time on 03 9614 7111, or by email at Melbourne@nevettford.com.au

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Does the amount of contact with your children affect your entitlement to receive Family Tax Benefit A or other Family Assistance Payments?

The short answer is yes.

A contact parent who has ”regular care” to the children i.e. 52 to 127 nights (2 to 4 nights a fortnight) may not get Family Tax Benefit A or other family assistance payments.

A contact parent who has “shared care” to the children, between 128 to 237 nights a year (5 to 9 nights a fortnight), both parents may receive family assistance payment and both parents can share in the Family Tax Benefit Part A.

A parent who has the children live with them over 86% of the time, i.e. 314 nights a year as a minimum, receive 100% of the Family Tax Benefit Part A.

The level of child support recognises shared parenting and the contact each parent makes towards the costs of the children through direct care. 

Please contact Nevett Ford Lawyers on 03 9614 7111 if you have queries about Child Support.

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Can I register for Child Support when one parent lives overseas?

Either parent may be able to:

• Apply for an Australian child support assessment;
• Register a Maintenance Order, Assessment or Agreement from another country for collection in Australia if the Order, Assessment or Agreement was established in a country listed as a reciprocating jurisdiction for Australia;
• Obtain an Australian Court Order requiring the other party to pay child support. An Australian Court Order can be registered with the Child Support Agency for collection. Collection options can be limited however, where a paying parent lives overseas especially if the parent lives in a country that is not listed as a reciprocating jurisdiction for Australia.

Please contact Nevett Ford Lawyers on 03 9614 7111 for further advice in this complex area.

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Parenting post-separation – don’t become a victim to statistics

The Australian Institute of Family Studies (AIFS) recently released research which showed that only 6% of children under 17 spent equal time with both mother and father. Yet regularly family lawyers will be regularly instructed to seek an equal shared care arrangement, or what many clients refer to as ‘shared custody’. Why doesn’t this frequent desire of separated parents often materialise in reality?

There are a variety of factors that the Family Law Act (Cth) 1975 requires be considered in making Orders concerning parenting arrangements, and a good family lawyer will advise their client of these factors early on in their consultation, including the paramount consideration of the best interests of the children. It is frequently not seen to be any easy experience for children, already dealing with the difficulty of mum and dad living in separate houses, to have to live out of a suitcase on a week-on week-off arrangement. Our lawyers are experts at identifying what issues preclude an equal shared arrangement early on, so that you can ensure that your situation is appropriately managed and directed so that you improve you can get the result you are seeking. 

One more issue to come out of AIFS’ research however should be kept in mind – half of children of relationships that have broken down do not spend any overnight time at their non-resident parents’ home. By even taking the step of seeking and maintaining regular time with your children, you will be significantly shifting the odds in your favour. Call our office today to seek advice on how best to progress your situation.

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