The Family Court of Australia and Federal Circuit Court of Australia have today issued Joint Practice Direction 1 of 2020, which sets out the “Core Principles in the Case Management of Family Law Matters”.

In essence, nothing in it is new. It repeats, and highlights, certain principles in the Family Law Act 1975, Family Law Rules 2004 and Federal Circuit Court Rules 2001.

However, it does suggest that the Courts will be taking some of these principles more seriously than they have been, including costs consequences (including against legal practitioners) where there is non-compliance.

Is this the first real step towards a firmer approach to poor conduct in our jurisdiction, edging towards some of the concepts found in legislation such as the Civil Procedure Act 2010 (Vic)?

Read Joint Practice Direction 1 of 2020 (Core Principles in the Case Management of Family Law Matters) on the Family Court of Australia website.