The Family Court of Australia has announced that a new electronic filing system is on its way for the people and families who use its services.
In a statement the Court said parties wishing to initiate a family law proceeding or file supporting documents on an existing file would soon be able to do so through a much-improved system.
“The Federal Courts’ innovative Digital Court Program will deliver benefits to those in the family law jurisdiction through strengthening electronic filing, implementing a digital court file for family law, as well as improvements to the Courts’ existing case management system,” the statement said.
“The Digital Court Program will also see the digitalisation of most Court forms, files and administrative processes.”
The Court said a significant part of the initiative would involve improving eFiling on the Commonwealth Courts Portal www.comcourts.gov.au.
It said the most significant improvement would be the ability to file a greater number of applications online.
It said other improvements included support for fee reduction/exemption applications (for financial hardship); online lodgement for correspondence; safety considerations; urgency, and the need for interpreters.
The Court said a survey in 2017 found that legal practitioners wanted a faster, more streamlined way to upload documents and this had led to the development of the new eFiling feature.
“The existing electronic filing process will be retained, providing practitioners with two avenues for electronic filing,” the statement said.
The Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia are to merge on 1 January 2019 to become the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
