The systemic problems which have plagued Wollongong's federal court system for years could be repeated around the country, after the government moved ahead with its plan to abolish the Family Court.
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On Tuesday, government MPs voted to support a bill to merge the Family Court into the Federal Circuit Court.
Whitlam MP Stephen Jones joined his Labor colleagues to speak out about the move, using a speech in parliament to highlight the issues faced in the Illawarra where there is already only the Federal Circuit Court.
"The system has been swamped," he said.
"I've had numerous conversations with Family Court lawyers in my area of the Illawarra.
"They talk about backlogs, the insufficient premises in which the court operates and the stress on the system."
As highlighted by the Mercury when the merger was first flagged a year ago, Mr Jones noted there was a more than two-year wait time in the Illawarra for people to have the cases resolved.
He also highlighted comments made by District Law Society president Lorelle Longbottom, who told the Mercury how domestic violence victims were often made to sit in the same waiting rooms as their abusers due to a lack of space and the massive case loads in Wollongong.
Local Labor MPs - and family lawyers - have argued the government should fix these issues with more resources, not shut down the Family Court.
They say the Family Court includes specialised judges, as well as vital services to protect women and children from violence.
"Illawarra families need help navigating through the difficult process of separation, they don't deserve a Government that turns its back on them in their hour of need," Mr Jones said.
Sharon Bird said the Family Law Court was established in recognition of the special needs of people in the family law system.
"This is a very poor decision by the Liberal Government that doesn't take into account the best interests of families requiring legal decisions."
Fiona Phillips said she was disgusted that the Morrison Government had turned its back on local families.
"I am simply flabbergasted that the government is choosing to make an already out of control situation even worse by abolishing the Family Court.
"This is not the solution and the Government needs to go back to the drawing board," Mrs Phillips said.
In introducing the merger bill last year, Attorney General Christian Porter argued the merger would reduce delays and backlogs in the family law courts and remove the unnecessary confusion, duplication and additional costs that have plagued the federal court system for decades.
He said this was informed by independent inquiries held over the past decade, the most recent of which found the merger had the potential to allow an extra 8,000 cases to be resolved each year.
The merger bill, which passed in the lower house on Tuesday, will now be debated in the Senate.
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Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
