Last Updated 8 August 2016

The Family Court of Australia was established under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) and has jurisdiction to hear divorce applications and related matters, and property settlement applications where the parties were or are married or de facto partners, including homosexual partners, but only where the de facto partners separated on or after 1 March 2009. It also has jurisdiction over issues such as whom the child lives with, spends time with and communicates with regardless of the marital status of the parents.

An appeal from the decision of a single judge of the Family Court can be made to the Full Court of the Family Court of Australia. Normally, the Full Court comprises at least three Family Court justices.