Family is a group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit. Family law is an important part of the legal system, it is a wide-ranging area of law governing behaviours in the context of the family. The importance of family law is the care and protection of its members, making sure family members are financially secure and that any children within the relationship are cared for. There are many different conflicts between family relationships such as, marriage and divorce, domestic violence and surrogacy/birth technology. However the effectiveness of the law in achieving justice for family members fluctuates depending on the structure of the family. By identifying the change in the values of Australian citizens the legal system has been able to change laws to best resolve family conflicts.
Marriage is a legal institution, and individuals who intend to marry must take into consideration the legal consequences of this union. Individuals need to understand the legal responsibilities if a separation occurs such as relationship breakdowns and divorce. Divorce is the legal termination of a marriage. Under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) the only grounds for divorce is the breakdown of the marriage. However prior to this, married couples who wanted to divorce had to apply under the Matrimonial cause Act 1959 Cth on the grounds of ‘fault’ such as …show more content…
The main goal of law is to protect all individuals and reduce conflict between all relationships. However this isn’t always possible as society’s values and morals are ever changing. The law reform agencies do their best job in amending laws to fit all individuals in society, although sometimes even with many attempts in resolving conflict between family members nothing seems to work