Every child deserves the love and involvement of both parents, yet countless Australian parents are being alienated from their children without just cause or legal oversight.
My partner is one of them. He is a devoted, responsible father who has been denied contact with his daughter, not by court order or any legal process, but through the unilateral decisions of the child’s other parent. His daughter was suddenly cut off from his entire side of the family after a simple visit to a friend’s home, despite no wrongdoing and no safety concerns.

Since then, communication has become conditional and hostile. Attempts to co-parent respectfully are met with threats, emotional manipulation, and financial punishment. Claims have even been made to Child Maintenance asserting 100% care, despite clear evidence of shared parenting time, undermining the system and the child’s well-being.

This isn’t just about one family, and this heartbreaking situation is sadly not unique; parental alienation is a painful experience affecting many families worldwide.  This is about the need for fairer, more transparent processes to protect children’s rights to both parents. We’re calling for urgent reform to prevent misuse of family law systems and ensure that no loving parent is unjustly removed from their child’s life.

Parent alienation occurs when one parent manipulates a child’s perception of the other parent, often to the point of estrangement. This type of behaviour is emotionally abusive and severely impacts the child’s relationship with their alienated parent.  - We believe that where there is clear, documented evidence of alienating behaviour—especially when it causes measurable harm to a child’s well-being—there must be mechanisms to intervene swiftly and fairly.

The Goal - To make parental alienation an officially recognised form of emotional abuse and illegal in the state of Queensland  through clear legal reform, public awareness, and professional accountability.

 
✅ What We’re Proposing
Recognise Parental Alienation as Emotional Abuse in Family Law and Child Protection

Add parental alienation behaviours (e.g. manipulation, coaching, blocking contact) to legislation as forms of psychological abuse
Align child protection responses accordingly
Create a Standard ‘Break-Up Parenting Contract’ (Without the huge court costs for the working parent) An automatic parenting framework for separated families with children (unless risk factors exist)

Ensures early contact and protects both parents' relationships with the child from Day 1 (Legally binding) 
Customisable for amicable break-ups, enforceable in high-conflict ones
Mandatory Training for Judges, Lawyers, and Child Experts

Training in recognising and distinguishing parental alienation from justified estrangement
Support for trauma-informed, child-first decisions
Fast-Track Enforcement Process

A simple, fast-response option when one parent violates orders or withholds access without cause
Reduces family court delays and emotional damage 

By coming together, we can make a meaningful change to protect children and families from the long-term harm caused by unjustified parental alienation. We call on lawmakers to officially recognise parental alienation as a serious form of emotional abuse in Queensland’s legal and child protection frameworks, ensuring early intervention, fair processes, and accountability when one parent’s relationship with their child is unfairly severed.

Mediations Australia

University Of Tasmania