National Child Protection Week

National Child Protection Week

This week is National Child Protection Week, launched on Father’s Day in Brisbane by Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan and Brisbane Broncos Coach Wayne Bennett, highlighting that there were over 58,000 cases of child neglect and abuse nationwide reported last year.

The slogan this year is “Children See. Children Do” which clearly sets out how children copy their parents’ behaviour.

I was particularly drawn to this phrase. Recently I attempted (poorly) to explain to a friend about how violence can be transmitted from one generation to the next, when she looked at me and summed it up in 4 words: “Monkey see. Monkey do.”

Things to Read, Watch & Listen

Australia’s Surrogacy System is Broken — Here’s What Needs to Change

Surrogacy in Australia is at a critical crossroads. Families are increasingly forced to look overseas to start or grow their families, surrogates often find themselves without clear legal protections, and children born through surrogacy face a tangled web of legal uncertainty.

Surrogacy Nightmare: Aussie Couple Referred for Criminal Charges After Overseas Baby Journey

Surrogacy can be a beautiful path to parenthood, but it also comes with intricate legal challenges, especially when undertaken overseas. In a recent and cautionary case from Queensland, Australia, a couple’s journey to parenthood through commercial surrogacy in North Cyprus ended not with joy alone, but with legal turmoil and potential criminal charges.

NSW Surrogacy FAIL: What Lawyers Got Wrong and How to Avoid It

Surrogacy journeys should be joyous and smooth pathways to parenthood, but unfortunately, legal missteps can turn them into complex, frustrating ordeals.

Family Law Section Law Council of Australia Award
Member of Queensland law society
Family law Practitioners Association
International Academy of Family Lawyers - IAFL
Mediator Standards Board