By Wayne Butler

My name is Wayne Butler. I have known and worked with Barry Williams, the founder of the Lone Fathers Association, since 2001. In 2002, I was elected as the National Executive Secretary of the Shared Parenting Council of Australia. I have worked extensively to lobby for family law reform and the rights of children to know and retain their relationship with their mother and father after separation and divorce.

In 2003, I was a principal author of the SPCA submission to the House of Representatives Inquiry into Shared Parenting (HORISP)  and followed the subsequent law changes in 2006 and 2008. I have been the researcher, analyst and writer for most SPCA submissions to Senate Inquiries in relation to Family Law and Child Support legislative reform for a number of years and have personally testified before the Federal Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee at Parliament House in Canberra. Please find a short synopsis of the history and activities of the Shared Parenting Council below the video for your further interest.

Currently, I work as a solicitor with the legal team at Monardo Legal, specialising in Family Law. Please find my video tribute to my dear friend and colleague Barry Williams here below.

Shared Parenting Council

The Shared Parenting Council of Australia (SPCA) is a non-profit, volunteer parenting organisation that works to enable and increase shared parenting in law and in practice. Since our inauguration in September 2002, we have championed the right of every child to know and experience a meaningful relationship with both parents after separation or divorce.

The Council was incorporated in September 2002 as a representative body for a range of Parent, Children, Church and Family Law Reform organisations that share the common purpose of prescribing in law, every child’s fundamental human right to an equal opportunity and relationship with both their Mother and Father following parental separation or divorce.

Our Mission to Educate and Reform

For over 22 years, the SPCA (especially from 2002 to 2015) has been one of the leading authoritative organisations liaising with and advising various government agencies in all matters relating to family law and child support, separation, and post-separation parenting. We offer our expertise to the Government, service providers and parents alike.

The SPCA has contributed toward many facets of Family Law reform, Child Support policy and supportive legislation. Our written submissions assist Federal Government enquiries, provide practical parenting information for families, publish emerging issues that identify problems faced by parents, and help educate about the needs of children, parents and families.

Community Work

Our services are directed to ensuring that children retain two actively engaged and fully participating parents in their lives after family breakdown. We give parents a helping hand with their family law problems, parenting schedules and child support issues because we have seen that given the right support and encouragement, most Australian mums and dads enthusiastically continue to share-parent or (co-parent) their children even when they live apart.

Children thrive when they are able to live with mum and live with dad in their parents’ respective homes. Our goal is to assist children and the many fit and willing parents, so that they may continue to maximise their parenting time lived together, despite the inconveniences of divorce.

We help families find solutions so that children are never forced to choose one parent over another or, worse still, lose a parent through inequitable residency or contact arrangements. Rather, equal or substantially equal shared residency is desirable where it is practicable to do so.

NOTE: The Shared Parenting Council, over the last several years, have had to cut back on helping separating parents because of the lack of volunteer staff, but we are hoping in the future this will change for the better.

Email wayne@monardolegal.com.au  for any enquiries.