Family Courts Bill

The purpose of the Family Courts Bill is to establish a dedicated family court in order to improve levels of judicial expertise and training in family law matters and streamline family law proceedings, thereby making them more user-friendly and less costly.

While it was originally anticipated that a referendum to amend article 34 of the Constitution might be required in order to remove any constitutional obstacle to the establishment of a separate Family Court, more recent examination of the issues indicates that it will be possible to proceed with the establishment of the Court in a manner which does not require such a referendum by establishing the Court as a separate division within existing court structures.