TO: THE  HON. MILTON DICK MP. AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

THE GRIEVANCE:

The Family Law Amendment Act 2023 (Cth) has failed the children of Australia. By repealing the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility, the Australian Government has effectively sanctioned a culture of unilateral parental withholding.

We are witnessing the emergence of a "New Stolen Generation" - not by state removal, but by state-sanctioned exclusion. The current law allows one parent to unilaterally sever the bond between a child and their other parent without immediate consequence, leaving children as the silent victims of a war of attrition.

THE IMPACT:

1. Justice for the Rich Only

The 2023 reforms have replaced clear legal presumptions with a complex, discretionary multi-factor test. This has priced middle-class Australians out of the justice system, making a child's right to both parents dependent on their parents' ability to pay tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

2. The Lawyer's Dividend

The only winners in this reform are legal practitioners. The increased complexity and ambiguity of the law have turned family separation into a bespoke litigation exercise that incentivises conflict rather than resolution.

3. Inconsistency with Australia's International Obligations

This Act is inconsistent with Australia's obligations under Article 9 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which mandates that children should not be separated from their parents against their will except when absolutely necessary for their safety.

THE REQUEST:
We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Australia, ask the House to immediately:

• REPEAL the Family Law Amendment Act 2023 in its entirety.
• RESTORE and STRENGTHEN the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility.
• LEGISLATE a "Default Co-Parenting" framework where equal access is the automatic legal starting point upon separation, requiring no court order to activate.
• STRENGTHEN enforcement mechanisms against unilateral withholding of children, including mandatory penalties and accessible enforcement pathways that do not require further costly litigation.
  
  The family is the foundation of our society. The law should protect it, not profit from its destruction. Stop the New Stolen Generation. Repeal the 2023 Amendments now.