There has been a record attendance at this week’s National Family Law Conference with more than 1400 family lawyers in Hobart, sharing ideas for strengthening Australia’s family law system.
Law Council of Australia President Tania Wolff said the three-day conference was the largest regularly held legal professional development event in the Southern Hemisphere, and this year’s attendance was a record.
“That says a great deal about how seriously this part of our profession takes its responsibility,” Ms Wolff said.
“When families are in crisis, the family law system is often where they turn. The ideas and debate here this week are about making sure that system is safe and fair, and that it works for the people who need it.”
The conference is convened by the Law Council’s Family Law Section under the 2026 theme Landscapes of Thought.
Yesterday’s State of the Nation panel brought together the Attorney-General Michelle Rowland; the Chief Justice of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, the Honourable William Alstergren AO; Justice Richard O’Brien of the Family Court of Western Australia; Commissioner Micaela Cronin of the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission; and Nicky Davies, Chair of National Legal Aid’s Family Law, Dispute Resolution and Child Support working groups.
The Law Council welcomed the Attorney-General’s acknowledgment of the extraordinary work of the profession in this complex and challenging area of law, her overview of progress since the Government’s reforms focused on family safety and the best interests of the child, and her recognition that law reform and workforce issues must be addressed together.
“We were particularly pleased to hear the Attorney-General recognise the critical work of the legal assistance sector, including Independent Children’s Lawyers, and acknowledge that pressures remain despite earlier investment,” Ms Wolff said.
Chief Justice Alstergren and Justice O’Brien outlined the work of the courts, pointing out that the most complex and high-risk parenting disputes came before judges, and that judges and court staff performed a difficult task every day.
Commissioner Cronin stressed the importance of hearing from people with lived experience, alongside rigorous evidence and data.
The conference is examining some of the most pressing issues in family law, including legislative reform, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, family violence, complex financial and parenting disputes, developments in neuroscience, and practitioner wellbeing. It concludes today.
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