Inquiry into the impact of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth).

The NSW Legislative Council Standing Committee on Law and Justice is conducting an inquiry into the impact of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth) that was introduced by the federal government on 1 July this year. The inquiry will examine:

(a)The impact of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth) on women and children in NSW; and

(b) The impact of the Family Law Amendment (Shared Parental Responsibility) Act 2006 (Cth) on the operation of court orders that can prevent family violence perpetrators coming into contact with their families.

The committee encourages members, especially members who are family law practitioners, with any comments or case studies that may be relevant to this inquiry to forward these to Kathryn McKenzie, Executive Officer, at executive@womenlawyersnsw.org.au by Thursday, 19 October 2006. For further information about the inquiry visit: http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/PARLMENT/Committee.nsf/0/B07F0829FC2D2160CA2571EF00192777.

WLA NSW has endorsed the views of the Law Council of Australia on the Anti-Terrorism Bill (No. 2) 2005. A submission in support of the Law Council's submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee was made on 11 November 2005. In this submission WLA NSW provided specific comment on:
• Australia's international obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CROC);
• The Australian criminal justice system;
• Control orders and preventative detention orders;
• Use of force; and
• Disclosure offences.

The full submission can be accessed by clicking on the link below:

SubAntiTerrorism.pdf

Added: 18 December 2005
Inquiry into the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Bill 2005

A WLA NSW submission on the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Bill 2005 was also submitted to the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Legislation Committee on 11 November 2005. Submission was drafted by: Mary Underwood, Research Officer; Samantha Edwards, Member; and Lee-May Saw, Media Officer. It addressed the issues of:
• The conduct of the Inquiry;
• Constitutional concerns;
• Work and life balance and pay issues;
• Low pay;
• The introduction of an Australian Fair Pay Commission;
• Increased use of individual contracts;
• Pay equity; and
• Unfair dismissal.

The full submission can be accessed by clicking on the link below:
 
SubmissionWorkPlace.pdf

Submission to Sex Discrimination Commissioner's project: Striking the Balance with Work and Family
WLA NSW's submission in response to the "Striking the Balance: Women, Men, Work and Family" Discussion Paper was made to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission on Friday, 14 October 2005. The submission focuses on the issues of:
• caring for people with disabilities, elder care and grandparents as carers;
• anti-discrimination legislation and family responsibilities; and
• workplace relations, policies and practices and the business case for change.

The submission was drafted by the members of the Media Subcommittee. Media Officer, Lee-May Saw thanks Mary Underwood, Research Officer and Lyn Francis, Promotions & Fundraising Officer, for contributing to the drafting of the submission.

Please click on the link below to access the submission.

StrikingTheBalanceSubmissionOct05.pdf

Further Submission on Servile Marriage to the Office of the Minister for Justice and Customs

The Senate Inquiry into the Criminal Code Amendment (Trafficking in Persons Offences) Bill 2004 [2005] was passed by both houses of federal parliament in June this year. The recommendations made by AWL and World Vision Australia on the application of Part IAD of the Crimes Act 1914 (Cth) to provisions introduced by the Bill have been adopted in the legislation. While the Senate Committee's recommendations on introducing offences of child servile marriage into the Bill were not adopted, the issue of child servile marriage was raised in the media shortly after the passage of the Bill. World Vision Australia was contacted by the Office of the Minister for Justice and Customs and requested to make a further submission on the issue. WLA NSW Media Officer, Lee-May Saw was requested to assist World Vision in drafting this submission, on behalf of AWL.

The submission was adopted by the AWL Board and submitted to the Minister's Office in September. Detailed recommendations for amendments to the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) and the commonwealth Criminal Code to support offences of trafficking of children into servile and forced marriages are made in the document. To read the submission, please click on the link below.
 
FinalSubmissionServileMarriageOct05.pdf

8 July 2005

Industrial Relations Reform: Short Term Gains but Long Term Inequity

Download Press Release (110Kb)

National Inquiries into Work & Family Balance

Submission to the Federal Government Inquiry into Balancing Work and Family
In April 2005, WLA NSW issued its submission to the Inquiry into Balancing Work and Family conducted by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Family and Human Services. In its submission, WLA NSW called for the issue of government funded paid maternity leave to be revisited, for government funding for family friendly programs in the workplace, for a greater emphasis on the uptake of family friendly practices in work life policies, and endorsed the recommendations of the Taskforce on Care Costs for tax deductions for the cost of care. The Committee thanks those members who provided comment for inclusion in the submission. Please click the link below to view the submission:

Click here to view Work & Family Submission

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Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s project: Striking the Balance With Work and Family
Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward has launched Striking the Balance With Work and Family, a project about the gender divide in the sharing of household and caring duties in the Australian home. The closing date for submissions to this inquiry is yet to be set. We ask members to forward contributions to the Sex Discrimination Commissioner’s project to the Committee at executive@womenlawyersnsw.org.au by June this year. The terms of reference for the project are:

To:
(a) identify existing systemic barriers in employment faced by men and women in balancing paid work and family responsibilities;
(b) identify how gender roles in unpaid caring work affect the participation of men and women in paid work;
(c) examine data on:

• men and women’s access to current and proposed family friendly employment provisions,
• community attitudes toward unpaid caring work, and
• the gender dimensions of efforts to achieve work and family balance;

(d) examine legislation, policies, practices and services to ensure men and women are able to combine their paid work and family responsibilities.

WLA has issued an official media statement in response to announcements about the two inquiries. This is available by clicking on the link below:

Click here to view Press Release, March 2005 

Inquiry into the Cornelia Rau Incident
As follow up to WLANSW's press release on the detention of Cornelia Rau, the Committee has drafted a letter to Senator Amanda Vanstone, Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, and made a submission to the Inquiry into the Cornelia Rau Incident conducted by Mick Palmer, former federal police commissioner. In the letter and submission, WLANSW called for the Inquiry to be conducted as an open inquiry and for broader terms of reference to be given. Recommendations were also given for reforming the mandatory detention requirements under s189 of the Migration Act. The Committee thanks: the Lawyers' Reform Association of New South Wales; Barbara Rogalla, RMIT PHD Scholar; and Patrick Byrant, Human Rights Barrister, for their support.

Download Cornelia Rau Inquiry submission (89Kb)

Women Lawyers Call for Better Protections for the Mentally ill
WLANSW Press Release 7 February 2005

Senate Inquiry into the Criminal Code Amendment (Trafficking in Persons Offences) Bill 2004 [2005]

On Wednesday 23 February, the Senate Legal and Constitution Committee held a hearing into the Federal Criminal Code Amendment (Trafficking in Persons Offences) Bill 2004 [2005]. Australian Women Lawyers had endorsed submissions made to the inquiry by World Vision Australia, which advocated for a more comprehensive scheme of offences targeting instances of child trafficking. Noor Bloomer, AWL President, and AWL members, Georgina Costella, Linda Crebbin, and Kay Ryan provided World Vision with legal advice throughout the process of drafting the written submissions. On the day of the hearing, Lee-May Saw, WLA NSW media officer joined Kayte Fairfax, Child Trafficking Policy Officer of World Vision and James Cox, Policy and Advocacy Officer of the Christian Children's Fund, at the State Library, to assist World Vision in answering legal questions and to represent AWL. World Vision Australia does not have a legal department and was grateful for the support of AWL. Letters have been issued by World Vision to AWL and WLA NSW expressing World Vision's appreciation of the assistance provided by women lawyers throughout the inquiry.

You can view World Vision's submissions and the additional material submitted to the Senate Committee post-hearing by clicking on the links below:

1. Submission to the Exposure Daft of the Bill (28 October 2004).

2. Submission to the Final Draft of the Bill (17 February 2005).

3. Additional material submitted post-hearing (25 February 2005).

The Senate Committee's final report on the inquiry should be available on the Committee's website shortly after the Committee offically issues its report at 3:30pm on Thursday 10 March 2005.

Taskforce on Care Costs (TOCC):
"Exposing the hidden cost of care for Australian workers"
Click here to view the preliminary survey results

In addition to further fund-raising events in the planning by WLANSW, you may make a personal contribution by contacting:
The Administrator: Alison Cole
(mobile 0414 383 848, email: alison@thevirtualworks.com.au )
NEEOPA, PO Box 566 Double Bay 2028.
Please make cheques payable to NSW EEO Practitioners' Association.

Background
The Taskforce on Care Costs (TOCC) is a strategic alliance of government, non-government and business groups to promote better understanding of the cost of care and how it affects carers’ ability to work. The primary aim of TOCC is to have policy implemented that will create workforce participation choices for carers.

Members of TOCC include:
The Equal Employment Opportunity Network of Australia, Blue Scope Steel, Women in Finance, Women Lawyers Association of NSW, Women’s Council of the Liberal Party, The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, The Sex Discrimination Commissioner, The Law Society of NSW, McDonalds, Blake Dawson Waldron Lawyers, The NSW Equal Employment Opportunity Practitioners Association, ING, Reuters, Ernst & Young, Australian Women Lawyers and the International Banks and Securities Association of Australia.

Click here to view the preliminary survey results

Law Council of Australia: Policies and Guidelines - Equal Opportunity

Model Equal Opportunity Briefing Policy for Female Barristers and Advocates
Equitable briefing practices open up access to suitably qualified barristers and advocates, maximizing choices for legal practitioners and their clients. Equitable briefing practices can also play an important role in the progress of women in the law, the judiciary and the wider community.

For further information and a copy of the Policy, visit :
http://www.lawcouncil.asn.au/policy/2393225385