Szabo & Associates News & Updates

Following the announcement in September last year that the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) had been commissioned to carry out a comprehensive review of family law in Australia, the ALRC has now published an Issues Paper and is calling for submissions from the public. 

Legal Aid NSW has launched a new Central Coast Domestic Violence Unit to provide legal assistance, advocacy and social support to victims of domestic and family violence. 

Some business owners and residents in Sydney are in dispute with NSW Government over its planned WestConnex project and supporting road structure, reports the Sydney Morning Herald. The project, which involves the construction of a tunnel linking Sydney’s Anzac bridge with the M4 Motorway, will require the compulsory purchase of key areas of land. Two businesses located on land to be purchased have objected to the values placed on their land by Roads and Maritime Services, claiming that the amount of money offered for the compulsory purchase is far too low. The business owners have also pointed out that they had previously applied for their land to be rezoned from industrial to residential, which could dramatically increase the land’s value. Legal action in the Land and Environment Court has been threatened by one of the businesses if a satisfactory resolution can’t be achieved. A third business has already brought legal action against the compulsory purchase and land valuation. Attempts had been made to resolve this dispute through mediation, but were unsuccessful and the case is now apparently proceeding to the Supreme Court. Local residents are also in opposition to the Government’s plans, with protests being held against the proposed construction of the F6 motorway to link in with the WestConnex tollway, reports Green Left Weekly. Protestors are concerned about the environmental and health impacts of the construction work and also claim that, once built, the new system will bring increased traffic into the area, which will have further negative consequences.

Australia’s Attorney-General, Christian Porter, has announced that a National Plan is to be developed to address the problem of elder abuse and ensure the protection of older people across the country. 

The Law Council of Australia has recently given evidence to the inquiry into the proposed introduction of Parenting Management Hearings, where it called for these proposals to be scrapped and for the funds to be used instead to reduce the unacceptable waiting times in the Family and Federal Courts.