100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

100% Locally Owned, Independent and Free

Business 2 Business: New changes are coming in parental responsibility

Sponsored Content

Do you have a news tip? Click here to send to our news team.

‘Stairway to haven’ helps fish migrate, breed

Two new fishways are being installed on a Coast creek to help native fish navigate weirs, which act as barriers to reaching breeding habitats. The More

‘Really special’: Aussie pair triumphs in Coast ironman

Queensland’s Ellie Salthouse and Tasmania’s Jake Birtwhistle have impressed on their way to victory at the 2025 IRONMAN 70.3 Sunshine Coast, with both athletes More

Work starts on multimillion-dollar parcel facility

Construction has started on a new Australia Post facility that is expected to process up to 16,000 parcels a day. Work is underway on building More

Firearm and car seized as emergency declaration revoked

Police have revoked an earlier emergency declaration under the Public Safety Preservation Act (PSPA) following a reported incident at Glenview. Officers were called to an More

Surf club rises from the ashes to reach milestone

A club that almost collapsed after its clubhouse was destroyed by fire is poised to mark a special anniversary. Dicky Beach Surf Life Saving Club, More

Your say: units proposal, caravan parking and more

Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and More

From May this year, new legislation will introduce some of the most significant changes to family law in 17 years.

One change involves removing the presumption that equal shared parental responsibility is automatically in the best interest of a child for decisions related to issues such as education, medical treatment, religion and name changes.

This change makes it clear that the best interest of the child is still the determining factor, but without an initial presumption that best interest will be equal. An increase in requests for more flexible parental responsibility court orders is anticipated.

For instance, a parent might be granted sole responsibility for medical decisions while sharing other responsibilities.

These changes also involve attempts to streamline the factors for determining a child’s best interest. The amendments mandate an assessment of family violence history, abuse, neglect and any domestic violence orders, including expired orders.

The upcoming change eliminates the need to challenge a presumption of equal shared responsibility when safety concerns or other factors support a different outcome, in a child’s best interest.

Olivia Le, Lawyer, Catton & Tondelstrand Lawyers, Kon-Tiki Business Centre Tower 1, Level 3, Suite 315, 55 Plaza Parade, Maroochydore, 5609 4933, ctlawyers.com.au

This column is part of our Business 2 Business (B2B) series featuring industry leaders sharing their expertise. For more great articles, SUBSCRIBE to our FREE news feed, direct to your inbox daily. All you need to do is enter your name and email below.

Subscribe to SCN’s free daily news email

This field is hidden when viewing the form
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
[scn_go_back_button] Return Home
Share