Family Court of Australia

The Hon. C. BONAROS (15:13): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Treasurer, representing the Attorney-General, about judicial appointments to the Adelaide Registry of the Family Court of Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: On 3 March 2017, the Hon. Christine Dawe retired as Justice of the Family Court of Australia, Adelaide Registry, after 20 years of outstanding service to the court, leaving vulnerable families in South Australia with only one Family Court judge. The failure to replace the Hon. Christine Dawe has had a devastating impact on families in South Australia.

The PRESIDENT: The honourable member is starting to go into opinion in this statement, so keep it concise and contextual, please.

The Hon. C. BONAROS: Matters are now taking up to three years or more to reach conclusion. The problem is further compounded by the failure to replace former judge of the Federal Circuit Court Stuart Lindsay, who retired in 2014. My question is: does the government concede that separating families in the Adelaide Registry are disadvantaged because of the federal government's failure to make judicial appointments in a timely manner? What is this government doing to ensure that a replacement for the Hon. Christine Dawe is made without further delay?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:14): I am happy to refer the honourable member's question to my colleague the Attorney-General and bring back a reply as soon as possible.