Changes have been made by the Federal Government to change the name of the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia to the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. The Federal Magistrates of the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia will also become Judges of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
It is anticipated that the structure of the current Family Law court system will also change as it is anticipated that there will be merging of the administrative functions of the Federal Magistrates Court and the Family Court.
The Federal Government has also recently announced a significant increase to the Court fees associated with Family law proceedings. There are exemptions and waivers that can be applied for on behalf of clients. These increases in fees apply from 1 January 2013 so if you are looking at commencing Family law proceedings or have current Family law proceedings this is the time to seek legal advice from our Family law team in relation to these changes.