Family Law Reform | Family Violence

Resources, tips, tools, and strategies to help men cope with domestic violence and false allegations. Updated weekly.

Closed Courts: The Quiet Weapon Nobody Warns You About

(A real case study, anonymised. A practical guide for respondents.) Most people assume family-violence hearings are conducted like any other civil matter — in front of the public, with transparency, accountability, and scrutiny. But respondents quickly discover something different: your ex-partner’s lawyer will very often try to shut the courtroom . And if you don’t know your rights, you may find yourself facing the State’s coercive power alone , without the support or witnes

The Morning an FVO Collapsed: A Cautionary Tale From Inside the System

(A real case study. Names and identifying details have been changed.) Most people assume that Family Violence Order (FVO) proceedings are orderly, structured, and evidence-based. But what actually unfolded in Courtroom 8 on a Friday morning late last year tells a very different story — one that exposes some of the deepest structural flaws in the family-violence system: overbooking, lack of evidence, procedural shortcuts, and the quiet, unseen pressure placed on courts and lit

“The Misandry Bubble” meets Australian evidence — and what we can fix now

A short companion note to steer readers of “The Misandry Bubble” toward local facts and practical reforms. The central thrust—that perverse incentives around separation harm men, children, and society—tracks closely with Anglosphere experience, Australia included. The essay was published on The Futurist blog The incentives lens is the useful bit for reform. Read the original first, then the notes below. Full text: https://jdfusa.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/themis

The Misandry Bubble

This is a thoughtful, insightful, long-form essay, The Misandry Bubble describes how incentives in modern Western societies have shifted against men—and why that matters for families and policy. It was published on The Futurist blog.. The core thesis in one paragraph The executive claim is that the West now undervalues men and overvalues women; law and policy forcibly transfer resources in ways that create perverse incentives, vilify male nature, and ultimately harm both s

Divorce, separation and male suicide in Australia: hard numbers, real causes, practical fixes

Divorce and separation are not just legal or financial events; for many men they’re a high-risk period for suicide. In 2024, 3,307 Australians died by suicide; over three-quarters (76.5%) were men. The age-standardised rate was 18.3 deaths per 100,000 for males versus 5.5 for females—about a 3.3:1 ratio. What the numbers show here at home Relationship breakdown is a leading risk factor. In 2024, “problems in spousal relationship circumstances”—which the ABS notes includes s

Enough Is Enough — Now We Need Action

The message below is part of a campaign by Kilo4Delta. The concerns raised about the Family Court system are now formally on record.A Notice of Intention to Commence Proceedings has been issued and served on the Commonwealth. At the same time, six Federal e-petitions have now been approved and opened for public signatures. These petitions are not symbolic. They are formal parliamentary instruments.And numbers matter. This is where your support becomes critical. What We Need Y

When Emails Become Property: A Quiet but Profound Shift in Australian Family Law

A recent decision of the NSW District Court has made an important — and largely under-appreciated — shift in Australian law: emails and text messages can constitute “property” for the purposes of criminal law. While the case arose in a criminal appeal, its implications extend well beyond assault law and directly into family law, property disputes, evidence handling, and allegations of coercive or unlawful conduct during separation. This is one of those decisions that will not

Understanding the Impact of Divorce and False Allegations on Men's Mental Health and Suicide in Australia

Divorce and family violence allegations can deeply affect anyone involved, but men in Australia face unique challenges that often go unnoticed. The combination of relationship breakdown and false accusations of family violence can lead to severe mental health struggles, sometimes ending in tragic outcomes like suicide. This article explores how these factors impact men’s mental health, supported by Australian statistics, and highlights the urgent need for awareness and suppor

Why So Many Men “Consent Without Admissions” to Family Violence Orders — Even When Innocent

Every year, tens of thousands of men across Australia are served with Family Violence Orders (FVOs). Some of those men deserve it. Some do not. We don't know many because 80% to 90% of the roughly 170,000 or so FVO applications in Australia each year ARE NEVER PROVEN . Most of them are never even tested in Court. Not because they the respondents all guilty of family violence. But because the system is stacked against contesting — a process that is costly, confusing, and care

A Turning Point for Accountability: What MT v SE Means for False Intervention Orders

For years, Australian men facing false or exaggerated allegations under family-violence law have had almost no recourse. Once a complaint is filed, the machine takes over — police issue or pursue an order, courts err on the side of caution, and even when claims collapse, accountability is rare. That may now be changing. In February 2025, the South Australian Court of Appeal handed down a quietly revolutionary decision in MT v SE [2025] SASCA 8. The case doesn’t rewrite the l

How Many Interim Family Violence Orders Are Unsubstantiated? The Hidden Cost of Believing Without Checking

Every year, thousands of interim Family Violence Intervention Orders (FVIOs) are made across Victoria — often within hours of a complaint. They are issued “on the papers,” sometimes by police, sometimes by registrars, and almost always without testing evidence in court. So how many of those orders are later found to be false, exaggerated, or unsubstantiated? The uncomfortable truth is that no one knows — because the system doesn’t measure it. But what we do know, from multip

When Consent Isn’t a Choice: How Men Are Pressured into Family Violence Orders

In Victoria, more than 90 per cent of Family Violence Intervention Orders (FVIOs) are made by consent — usually “by consent without admissions.” On paper, this looks like efficiency. In reality, it often reflects coercion through circumstance, exhaustion, or fear rather than genuine agreement. The situation is similar across Australia, but we have solid data for Victoria that other states don't provide as transparently. For thousands of men each year, “consent” is not a free

Fair process for all

The Fair Hearing project exists to restore balance, transparency, and evidence to Australia’s family-violence and family-law systems.

Many men face allegations that are untested, exaggerated, or strategically deployed — yet they experience automatic penalties long before any evidence is heard.

We believe in a justice system where safety remains paramount, but rights and reputations are protected through due process, proportionate responses, and data-driven reform.

Our mission is simple: