Federal Circuit Court and Family Court formally merge administration

The Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court have formally merged their administration, which involves formalising current arrangements and enabling additional improvements to the courts’ administrative practices and procedures. The amendments, contained in the Courts and Tribunals Legislation Amendment (Administration) Act 2013, commenced on 1 July.

Overseeing the newly merged departments will be the new Chief Executive Officer of the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court (CEO).

Since November 2008 the CEO of the Family Court has had the additional role as acting CEO of the Federal Magistrates Court (now the Federal Circuit Court).  From January 2009 the administration of the two courts has been progressively amalgamated, resulting in a considerable savings of $6.3 million in Federal Government funds.

The formal merger will further reduce costs associated with operating as a single administration without a legislative basis such as duplicate financial and other government reporting which has been estimated at half a million dollars. The amendments are administrative only and do not touch on the judicial or quasi judicial functions of the courts. The commencement of 1 July 2013 will ensure certainty for the courts’ administration for the 2013-2014 financial year.

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