Britain looks to Howard’s shared parenting laws

Parenting laws passed by the Howard government in 2006 focused on shared parenting. In November 2011, the Gillard government introduced further amendments that placed emphasis on the safety of children when determining parenting arrangements.

The changes came after a number of reports found that an implied right to equal or shared parenting often compromised the safety of children exposed to violence, and placed more importance on the rights of parents as opposed to the children.

Despite the rollback of such laws in Australia, Howard’s shared parenting laws are now finding favour in Britain. In early January, Britain’s Minister for Children and Families Tim Loughton announced that a family law ‘shake up’ could be on the cards for UK.

Despite numerous government-commissioned and independent reports from Australia and the UK that outlined the downfalls of parenting laws that favour shared parenting, Loughton told London’s Daily Telegraph that his government “must do everything we can to improve the system so that it gives children the best chance of growing up under the guidance of two loving parents”.

Fathers groups in Australia who resisted the Family Law Legislation Amendment (Family Violence and Other Measures) Bill support Loughton’s interest in shared parenting laws. When passed in November 2011, fathers groups were amongst those who resisted the changes, on the grounds that fathers might be unjustly denied access to their children if false allegations of violence were made to the court.

Whether or not Britain adopts shared parenting laws remains to be seen, but this development has sparked further international debate over what is the best policy and system when making parenting arrangements.

Do you think Britain should follow the lead of Australia and roll back and emphasis on shared parenting?