Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia is an Australian federal court formed in September 2021 by merging the Federal Circuit Court of Australia with the Family Court of Australia. The merger was enacted by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021 and took effect on 1 September 2021, after the plan announced in November 2020 drew opposition from lawyers who feared a loss of specialisation. The court hears family law matters throughout Australia except Western Australia, which keeps its own family court, and it also decides federal matters such as migration, bankruptcy, admiralty, copyright, human rights, industrial law, privacy and trade practices. It has two divisions. Division 1, the former Family Court, is a superior court of record for family law, while Division 2, the former Federal Circuit Court, handles the bulk of family law cases and general federal law. It also runs an Indigenous List with processes adapted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.