SETTING THE SCENE |
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| Authors: | Hon. Alastair Nicholson |
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| Affiliation: | Chief Justice Alastair Nicholson, AO, RFD, has been chief justice of the Family Court of Australia since 1988, at which time he was also appointed a justice of the Federal Court of Australia. Prior to these appointments, he was a justice of the Supreme Court of Victoria and deputy chairman of the Adult Parole Board of Victoria. His Honor studied law at Melbourne University and graduated in 1960. He signed the Roll of Counsel of the Victorian Bar in 1963. He practiced extensively in all jurisdictions at the bar, including general common law, family law, crime, town planning, local government, and administrative law and also appeared as a counsel in a number of public inquiries. He became Queen's Counsel in 1979. His Honor is a past president of the International Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC) and is the founding president of the Australian Association of Family Lawyers and Conciliators. During the period of his presidency of the AFCC, he chaired the 2nd World Congress on Family Law and the Rights of Children and Youth, which was held in San Francisco in June 1997. |
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| Abstract: | This article focuses on the Family Law Act of Australia and its subsequent impact on the Australian courts. There is an analysis of the historical and social factors that led to the legislation. The article also discusses the constitutional precedent and framework surrounding the Family Law Act's inception. Finally, the article addresses the future of the Australian courts under the Family Law Act. |
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