Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1)

Administered by Attorney-General's Department

Legislation au F2000B00215 Regulations Not in force Legislative Instrument

Legislation content

Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) 2000 No. 208

EXPLANATORY STATEMENT

STATUTORY RULES 2000 No. 208

ISSUED BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Family Law Act 1975

Family Law Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 3)

Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1)

Section 125 of the Family Law Act 1975 (the Act) provides for the Governor-General to make regulations prescribing, amongst other matters, all matters that are required or permitted by the Act. Pursuant to this power, the Family Law Regulations 1984 (the Family Law Regulations) and the Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Regulations 1986 (the Child Abduction Regulations) were made, prescribing certain matters concerning the practice and procedure of the Family Court of Australia.

The purpose of the Regulations is to make consequential amendments to the Family Law Regulations and the Child Abduction Regulations to allow for the application of the Family Law Regulations and the Child Abduction Regulations to the Federal Magistrates Service, established by the Federal Magistrates Act 1999.

The Regulations omit the definitions of "Rules of Court" and "Family Law Rules", replacing them with definitions of "applicable Rules of Court" and "standard Rules of Court" where appropriate. These amendments are required as section 81 of the Federal Magistrates Act 1999 allows the Federal Magistrates Service to make its own rules in relation to the practice and procedure to be followed in the Federal Magistrates Service. As the Federal Magistrates Service will make its own rules, the Family Law Regulations and the Child Abduction Regulations have been amended to reflect that both the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Service will be exercising jurisdiction under the Regulations, but that each court has its own rules.

Details of the Regulations are contained in separate attachments.

Both sets of Regulations commence on gazettal.

Attachment

Family Law Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 3)

Regulation 1 provides the name of the Regulations.

Regulation 2 provides that the Regulations commence on gazettal.

Regulation 3 provides that Schedule 1 to the Regulations amends the Family Law Regulations.

Item 1 of Schedule 1 omits the definition of "Rules of Court" from the Family Law Regulations.

Item 2 of Schedule 1 inserts a note indicating that the definitions of "applicable Rules of Court", "related Federal Magistrates Rules" and "standard Rules of Court" can be found in section 4(1) of the Act..

Item 3 of Schedule 1 amends Regulation 11 of the Family Law Regulations, which imposes fees in respect of all proceedings under the Act, so that it specifically excludes family law proceedings in the Federal Magistrates Service. Fees for proceedings in the Federal Magistrates Service are imposed by the Federal Magistrates Regulations 2000.

Item 4 of Schedule 1 amends Regulation 16 of the Family Law Regulations to ensure that it covers fees for appeals from the Federal Magistrates Service to the Family Court under section 94AAA of the Act.

Item 5 of Schedule 1 inserts a note into subregulation 39(3) of the Family Law Regulations indicating that service is dealt with by the applicable Rules of Court.

Item 6 of Schedule 1 corrects a minor typographical error in subregulation 53(4) of the Family Law Regulations, by replacing the word "Court" with the word "court".

Item 7 of Schedule 1 amends the Family Law Regulations by replacing each mention of "Rules of Court" and "Family Law Rules" in the Family Law Regulations with either "applicable Rules of Court" or "standard Rules of Court." As the Federal Magistrates Service will make its own rules in relation to the practice and procedure to be followed in the Federal Magistrates Service. the Family Law Regulations have been amended to reflect that both the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Service will be exercising jurisdiction under the Regulations, but that each court has its own rules.

Attachment

Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1)

Regulations 1 provides the name of the Regulations.

Regulation 2 provides that the Regulations commence on gazettal.

Regulation 3 provides that Schedule 1 to the Regulations amends the Child Abduction Regulations.

Item 1 of Schedule 1 amends Regulation 2 of the Child Abduction Regulations by inserting a reference to the Federal Magistrates Service's jurisdiction under section 39(5A)(a) of the Act. Regulation 2 defines "court" as a court having jurisdiction under certain sections of the Act. Item 1 of Schedule 1 will add the Federal Magistrates Service's jurisdiction under section 39(5A)(a) of the Act.

Item 2 of Schedule 1 omits the definition of "Rules of Court" from the Child Abduction Regulations.

Item 3 of Schedule 1 inserts a note indicating that the definitions of "applicable Rules of Court", "related Federal Magistrates Rules" and "standard Rules of Court" can be found in section 4(1) of the Act.

Item 4 of Schedule 1 corrects a minor typographical error in clause 3 of Form 1, Schedule 3 of the Child Abduction Regulations, by replacing the word "or" with the word "of".

Item 5 of Schedule 1 amends the Child Abduction Regulations by replacing each mention of "Rules of Court" and "Family Law Rules" in the Child Abduction Regulations with "applicable Rules of Court." As the Federal Magistrates Service will make its own rules in relation to the practice and procedure to be followed in the Federal Magistrates Service, the Child Abduction Regulations have been amended to reflect that both the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Service will be exercising jurisdiction under the Regulations, but each court has its own rules.

 

Overview

The Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) was enacted to amend the Family Law Regulations 1984 and the Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Regulations 1986, allowing for their application to the Federal Magistrates Service established by the Federal Magistrates Act 1999. These regulations were made pursuant to section 125 of the Family Law Act 1975, which empowers the Governor-General to make regulations prescribing matters required or permitted by the Act. The Family Law Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 3) and the Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) aim to reflect the Federal Magistrates Service's jurisdiction and its capacity to make its own rules. This is necessary as section 81 of the Federal Magistrates Act 1999 allows the Federal Magistrates Service to establish its own rules for practice and procedure, distinct from those of the Family Court of Australia. The policy objective of these regulations is to ensure that both courts are appropriately governed under the amended regulations.

Scope and Application

The Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) serve to amend existing Family Law Regulations 1984 and Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Regulations 1986, extending their application to the Federal Magistrates Service established by the Federal Magistrates Act 1999. This legislative amendment ensures that the practice and procedure outlined in these regulations are applicable to both the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Magistrates Service, despite each having its own set of rules. The regulations specifically redefine terms such as "Rules of Court" and "Family Law Rules" to "applicable Rules of Court" and "standard Rules of Court" to accommodate the Federal Magistrates Service's autonomy in creating its own procedural rules. These amendments are intended to maintain consistency in the application of family law regulations while allowing for the unique procedural needs of the Federal Magistrates Service. The changes are effective from the date of gazettal and include adjustments to fee structures and service procedures to align with the new jurisdictional framework.

Key Provisions

The Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) and the Family Law Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 3) are two sets of regulations that were enacted to make consequential amendments to the Family Law Regulations 1984 and the Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Regulations 1986, respectively. The purpose of these Regulations is to allow for the application of the Family Law Regulations and the Child Abduction Regulations to the Federal Magistrates Service, which was established by the Federal Magistrates Act 1999. The Regulations omit the definitions of "Rules of Court" and "Family Law Rules", replacing them with definitions of "applicable Rules of Court" and "standard Rules of Court" where appropriate. These amendments are required because section 81 of the Federal Magistrates Act 1999 allows the Federal Magistrates Service to make its own rules in relation to the practice and procedure to be followed in the Federal Magistrates Service. The Regulations impose certain obligations and requirements on the parties or entities that they govern. The Family Law Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 3) specifically exclude family law proceedings in the Federal Magistrates Service from the fees imposed by the Family Law Regulations. Fees for proceedings in the Federal Magistrates Service are imposed by the Federal Magistrates Regulations 2000. The Regulations also ensure that Regulation 16 of the Family Law Regulations covers fees for appeals from the Federal Magistrates Service to the Family Court under section 94AAA of the Family Law Act 1975. The Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Amendment Regulations 2000 (No. 1) amends Regulation 2 of the Child Abduction Regulations by inserting a reference to the Federal Magistrates Service's jurisdiction under section 39(5A)(a) of the Family Law Act 1975. The Regulations also outline the potential consequences for non-compliance with the provisions of the Family Law Regulations and the Child Abduction Regulations. However, it is important to note that the Regulations themselves do not specify any penalties or consequences for non-compliance. Instead, the Family Law Act 1975 and the Federal Magistrates Act 1999 outline the potential penalties for breaches of the regulations. For example, section 121 of the Family Law Act 1975 provides for a penalty of up to 50 penalty units for failure to comply with an order of the Family Court of Australia. Similarly, section 64 of the Federal Magistrates Act 1999 provides for a penalty of up to 100 penalty units for failure to comply with an order of the Federal Magistrates Service. It is important to note that the maximum penalties for these offences are subject to change over time.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Family Law
Instrument
Regulation
Concepts
Definitions & Interpretation
Commencement Provisions
Repeal & Amendment
Regulatory Standards

Interactions

Authorises

All Versions

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.