F4E are a progressive shared parenting group comprising primarily parents and grandparents who believe that a child has a natural right to a meaningful relationship with both parents, in the event ofseparation. We provide information and assistance on the current family law act and how to best utilise it in the best interests of your children, and we lobby the federal government against the myths promoted by self-interest lawyers and feminist groups in their efforts to take Australia back to the dark ages, at our children’s expense. Please read the information on this website carefully before engaging in any child custody negotiations, and if possible, subscribe to our daily Blog post for useful updates.

Child Custody Laws

In Australia, the term “child custody” has been deleted from the legal vernacular, however it is still the most common term used to describefamily law matters relating to children. Other common references in Australia relating to the issue of child custody include: child residence, child access, visitation, shared custody, joint custody and sole custody.

The 2006 amended family law act makes reference to none of these terms, prefering instead to focus on “lives with” as a reference to the primary parent, and “spends time with” as a reference to the old non-custodial parent. Further terminology introduced by the 2006 family law amendments include; family relationship centres, post-separation parenting classes, rebuttable presumption of equal shared parental responsibility, equal shared care and equal parenting time. Terminology un-touched by the amendments and used in the same manner as prior to the changes include; independant children’s lawyer,child psychologist, family report, single mother, single parent, sole parent, child alienation, parental alienation, child alignment, and “best interests of the child”. Terminology starting to become more prominent in family law in Australia include; same sex parenting and non-biological mother.