The age of say in the family court should be changed
Just imagine, you're 12. Things at another parent's house arent going great and now you don't want to go, your other parent may need to take this up at the family court, why can't you talk? You aren't old enough. I want this to change, let me explain why.
About 40-45% of families in Australia are; divorced, separated or going through a divorce or separation. And I get it, a relationship between 2 parents isn't always bad, but, in some cases it can be. For example, when I was 5 1/2 my mum and dad split up. Long story short, the agreements between them didn't work out and I got stuck in a custody fight for around 5-6 years. During that period of time, life at dads was getting to a point where there was bad treatment involved, but I couldn't say anything to the court at all as I was under 13. This is what I think needs to change. 30% of kids under 17 get little to no say as well as having their wishes denied. The court will also judge your level of maturity, meaning they most likely won't believe you if you are under 13.
Family violence, You probably don't know how difficult this can be to sort out, For example, you're only allowed to put a magistrate's order on a parent if you are under 18. A magistrate's order is close to the same thing as a restraining order, but within the family court. Magistraints orders can also not be undone, and can be put on a record which can certainly ruin someone's life in the workplace. Family violence can also not be solved without evidence, but you are not allowed to have a recording or video of som0ne abusing you as it is considered invading their privacy. Court is also very expensive, so , if you've said anything about family violence and it doesn't work out then you've just lost a lot of money on a court case that hasn't worked out. But, say a kid explained their family trauma or abuse, that would possibly be more believable, right?
Co-parenting has a big role in separated families. Co-parenting is when 2 parents share custody of 1 or more children. Sometimes the parents can choose to equally share the time with the kids, A.K.A ESPR (equal shared parenting responsibilities) Others prefer to share their time differently. Usually the actual child has no say in this until they are 12-17 years of age, which isn't necessarily good. This means the child has no say in if they see a certain parent more than another. It is legal to not go to a certain parent's house unless the court says so, yet parents do not have any rights over a child. That is the court's job.
In conclusion, how would you feel if something happened to you at a different parents house and you couldn't say anything about it? I hope this has persuaded you to try and make a change. *petition*
-Janna E. Rodriguez