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Prominent legal bodies have leapt to the defence of the Family Court of Australia over claims made in the media that there is corruption within the court.
The claims were reported by Fairfax Media on 12 and 13 January and alleged that “the Family Court of Australia has many corruption issues” including “corrupt” judges.
Now, both the Law Council of Australia and Australian Bar Association have come out in support of the Family Court and discredited the claims.
The Law Council said it rejected the assertion and that such comments undermined public confidence in the integrity of the court and the rule of law in the country.
Law Council President, Dr Jacoba Brasch QC, said there was no doubt that family law is factually and legally complex, emotionally-charged and produces life-altering consequences for families and children.
“Judges of the Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia perform this important work in a difficult, high-pressure environment that carries the risk of physical danger to themselves and their families,” Brasch stated.
“Judges also face the gravity of knowing that their decisions, especially regarding children, could in some instances provoke extreme responses resulting in violence to a child or a party, or, in tragic cases, death.”
She said judges are held accountable for their decisions through processes such as appeals and the Family Court’s and Federal Circuit Court’s Judicial Complaints Procedures.
“Any specific allegation should be raised through these processes, not aired in the media to tarnish the reputation of the court and hard-working judicial officers,” Brasch said.
Meanwhile, the Australian Bar Association said it had the “highest respect” for the judges of the Family Court of Australia and for their independence and integrity.
“More Australians have contact with the family law system and courts than perhaps any other part of our justice system,” said the President of the association, Matthew Howard SC.
“It is important that the Australian community has and can have confidence in these courts, the hard-working judges who serve in them and the justice process more generally.”
He added: “The reported comments were baseless, inappropriate and undermining of the courts administering the judicial system.”