1991 No. 447*1* FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS*2* (AMENDMENT)
These Regulations were disallowed by the Senate on 3 March 1992
*1*Notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 19 December 1991.
*2*Statutory Rules 1984 No. 425 as amended by 1985 No. 341; 1986 Nos. 6 and
193; 1987 Nos. 15, 74 and 222; 1988 Nos. 42, 44, 164 and 165; 1989 Nos. 8, 53,
74, 155, 205, 235 and 326; 1991 No. 401.
1991 No. 447 FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) - REG 1
1. Commencement
1.1 These Regulations commence on 1 April 1992.
1991 No. 447 FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) - REG 2
2. Amendment
2.1 The Family Law Regulations are amended as set out in these
Regulations.
1991 No. 447 FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) - REG 3
3. Regulation 11 (Fee in respect of proceedings for divorce or nullity)
3.1 Omit the regulation.
1991 No. 447 FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) - REG 4
4. Regulation 16 (Fees in respect of appeals)
4.1 Omit the regulation, substitute:
Fees on filing certain applications and appeals
"16. (1) Subject to this regulation, the fee payable for filing an
application or appeal in the Family Court, of a kind set out in an item in
column 2 of Schedule 8, is the fee set out in column 3 of that item.
"(2) A fee is not payable:
(a) in the case of an application for principal relief-if the marriage to
which the proceedings relate has been dissolved or annulled under the Act or
the repealed Act; or
(b) if the person liable to pay the fee is granted legal aid, under a legal
aid scheme or service established under Commonwealth, State or Territory law
or approved by the Attorney-General, for the matter to which the proceeding
relates; or
(c) if the person liable to pay the fee is:
(i) the holder of a pensioner health benefit card, a
health benefit card, a pharmaceutical benefits concession card or a health
care card; or
(ii) an inmate of a prison or is otherwise lawfully
detained in a public institution; or
(iii) a child under the age of 18 years; or
(iv) in receipt of AUSTUDY within the meaning of the
AUSTUDY Regulations; or
(d) if a registrar, having regard to the income, assets and liabilities of
the person liable to pay the fee, waives the fee on the ground that payment of
the fee would impose financial hardship on the person.
"(3) A registrar may allow an application or appeal for which a fee is
payable to be filed without payment of the fee if, in the registrar s opinion,
filing the application or appeal is attended by urgency that overrides the
requirement of payment of the fee.
"(4) A fee mentioned in subregulation (3):
(a) must be paid within 30 days of filing; and
(b) if not paid within that period, is a debt due to the Commonwealth that
may be recovered in a court of competent jurisdiction.
"(5) A person is entitled to a refund of the fee if the fee was not payable.
Hearing fees
"16A. (1) When the Court, a Judge or a registrar fixes a date for the
hearing in the Family Court of:
(a) an application, or an issue or question in an application; or
(b) an appeal to the Full Court (whether from a decision of the Family Court
or from a decision of another court);
a fee of $500 (in this regulation called a "hearing fee") is, subject to this
regulation, payable for the hearing of the matter.
"(2) A hearing fee is not payable if:
(a) the hearing is of an interlocutory nature only; or
(b) a hearing fee has been paid under these Regulations or another law of
the Commonwealth for the application or appeal, and has not been refunded; or
(c) the proceeding is one to which subregulation 16 (2) applies.
"(3) The person liable to pay a hearing fee is the applicant or the
appellant or, if the Court, a Judge or a registrar so orders:
(a) another party to the application or appeal; or
(b) 2 or more of the parties to the application or appeal, including the
applicant or appellant, in the proportions ordered by the Court, a Judge or a
registrar.
"(4) If a hearing fee that is payable is unpaid:
(a) the Court, a Judge or a registrar may order that no proceedings, or no
proceedings other than specified proceedings, are to take place, except by
leave, in the matter to which the hearing fee relates; and
(b) a person other than the person liable to pay the fee may pay the fee
without affecting any power of the Court, a Judge or a registrar to make an
order for costs for the fee.
"(5) A person who has paid a hearing fee is entitled to a refund of the fee
if:
(a) a registrar is notified, not less than 10 working days before the date
fixed for hearing, that the hearing will not proceed, and the hearing does not
proceed; or
(b) the fee was not payable.
Review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal
"16B. (1) Application may be made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for
review of a decision by a registrar under paragraph 16 (2) (d) or
subregulation 16 (3).
"(2) If a registrar makes a decision under paragraph 16 (2) (d) or
subregulation 16 (3), a notice must be given to the person liable to pay the
fee:
(a) containing the terms of the decision; and
(b) giving written reasons for the decision; and
(c) containing a statement to the effect that, subject to the Administrative
Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, application may be made to the Administrative
Appeals Tribunal for review of the decision.
"(3) A notice under subregulation (2) must be given within 28 days of the
date of the decision.
"(4) Failure to include in a notice under subregulation (2) a statement of
the kind mentioned in paragraph (2) (c) does not affect the validity of the
decision.".
1991 No. 447 FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) - REG 5
5. New Schedule 8
5.1 Add at the end:
1991 No. 447 FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) - SCHEDULE 8
SCH
SCHEDULE 8 Subregulations 16 (1) and (2)
FEES ON FILING CERTAIN APPLICATIONS AND APPEALS
IN THE FAMILY COURT
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
Item No. Application or Appeal Fee
1 Originating application for decree of $300
dissolution or nullity of marriage
2 Originating application made under the Act $100
or an application expressed to be for orders
by consent (other than an application
specified in item 1)
3 Originating application to a court in a $100
matter in respect of which jurisdiction is
conferred on or invested in the court by
subsection 99 (1) or (2) of the Child
Support (Assessment) Act 1989
4 Originating application to a court in a $100
matter in respect of which jurisdiction is
conferred on or invested in the court by
subsection 104 (1) or (2) of the Child
Support (Registration and Collection) Act
1988
5 Interlocutory or interim application in $ 50
pending proceedings
6 Application to review decision of Judicial $100
Registrar under section 26C of the Act
7 Application to review decision of Registrar $100
under Rules of Court made under section 37A
of the Act
8 Appeal under subsection 96 (1) of the Act $100
from a decree of a court of summary
jurisdiction
9 Appeal under subsection 105 (1) of the Child $100
Support (Assessment) Act 1989 from a decree
of a court of summary jurisdiction
10 Appeal under subsection 110 (1) of the Child $100
Support (Registration and Collection) Act
1988 from a decree of a court of summary
jurisdiction
11 Appeal to the Full Court under subsection $500
94 (1) or (1AA) of the Act
12 Appeal to the Full Court under subsection $500
107 (1) or (1A) of the Child Support
(Registration and Collection) Act 1988
13 Appeal to the Full Court under subsection $500
101 (1) of the Child Support (Assessment)
Act 1989
1991 No. 447 FAMILY LAW REGULATIONS (AMENDMENT) - REG 6
6. Application
6.1 The amendments made by these Regulations apply to applications and
appeals filed on or after the date of commencement of these Regulations.