I thank Deputy Gogarty and the Independent Technical Group for bringing forward this important motion. Family law is not working to protect the children of this State. Children are not only failed by family law, they are all too often put in harm's way. That means the State is facilitating harm to children. The system is massively skewed against women and children but I acknowledge that it impacts men as well. It ignores domestic violence and threats to kill, and forces children to continuously meet those who have already abused them. I have case after case where this is happening, and it has happened for years. I am glad the Minister is facing up to this but we need to do it much quicker than it has been done. It really says an awful lot for the Ministers who have come before him. The experts making these decisions work without oversight and without accountability. There is no transparency and no scrutiny. The horror stories coming out of the family law courts can only be described as State-sponsored cruelty. What are we going to tell these children when, as adults, they ask why we, as legislators, did not intervene to stop the harm that was being done to them? Are we going to tell them it was too complex? The use of experts in family law cases needs to be dealt with by regulations rather than by guidelines, given the serious concerns that have arisen to date and the need to ensure the highest standards in terms of how the justice system works. Minimum standards of training are required for those who work in the area of family law, as recognised in the Government's Family Justice Strategy 2022-2025. It is now 2026 and such standards are overdue to be introduced across all professionals, including legal professionals and civil and public servants operating in this area. I acknowledge the Minister's intent but the lack of transparency is striking. By excluding the public and limiting reporting with the in camera rule, we have created a system that operates largely out of sight. Justice must not only be done but it must be seen to be done, as we know.

Sentiment score: -0.05