Could you please, please get this story out there! We desperately need to stop this from happening again. This is the second time in the same court. Now two kids don’t have a dad; a mum, dad and family are left grieving.

Just weeks ago, a 16-year-old young girl, devastated by her parents’ divorce, suicided in her old family home.

The author is our DIDS solicitor. Contact details are below. This guy was an accountant, had a good job and was no dill. Hopelessness and fatherlessness just caught up with him. He approached court staff for help and was apparently turned away. This has got to stop, we need your help.

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Please encourage your readers to post the story on to their local MP.

Dear Friends,

An amazing couple of months has just passed. For your information, I have prepared this email in concern of a Family Law system that has been overloaded by new applications filings in the Family Law Court and Federal Magistrate Court.

There have been approximately 20,000 new applications filed in the last few months. The system is overloading and now there is a waiting list of up to 6 to 12 months on Interim Order Applications and up to 2 years on Final Order Applications in most registries.

This waiting period is usually referred to as the period you don’t get to see your kids. Sort of like Alienation by Default. No wonder they don’t recognise the syndrome part of ‘Alienation’, as they are the creators of it or at the very least allow it to occur.

The reasons for such a large number of new filings in a short period are unknown to the everyday person, including some of the system workers that include the family court itself. I believe it could be for a number of reasons — they are as follows:

1. To avoid the use of Family Mediation Centres. Everybody is rushing to get their matter before the court, a bit like Boxing Day rush sales. The solicitors would be the cause of such a situation in most cases and this has been discussed in their Bar associations.
2. Knowing that the system is overloaded is another excuse to create a status quo by refusing contact until orders are in place, ie: the ‘He is not going to return the children’ excuse.
3. People are trying to get in for a last-ditch attempt to avoid the new changes.
4. The legal advantage of this occurring is greater for the resident parent.

Unfortunately, this is occurring right now. When is it going to stop? Who knows???

The Casualties

I am ANGRY about this situation, believe me. I had a friend, a MATE, in the Brisbane registry yesterday after attempting to file his documents and was informed it would take up to 10 months to see his kids.

He simply went to the toilets at the registry, tied his tie to the sprinkler system and hung himself in hopelessness. He has two children, Jacob 6 yrs and Michael 10 yrs. Two children are now left without a DAD due to a failing system. I spoke to his mother and family last night; they are all upset beyond belief.

I don’t know about you, but a part of me dies when a mate dies in hopelessness. I am overwhelmed now in writing this email and will have not much else to say, other than if you would like to say a prayer or maybe just consider my mate Andrew and his family in your thoughts, that would be great.

Yours faithfully,
Shane Moy
DIDS Legal Adviser

[Photo by Daniel Reche from Pexels]