Focus goes on families

By Callan Date
AUSTRALIAN Attorney-General Philip Ruddock visited Berwick last Thursday to officially launch the new Berwick Family Relationship Centre.
Mr Ruddock said he was delighted to be in the City of Casey to open the centre. He joked about being familiar with the area only through the shopping habits of television characters Kath and Kim but was soon down to the serious business of talking about the new resource for local residents.
He said the three main aims of the centre were to strengthen family relationships, help families stay together and, if the first two objectives were unattainable, to assist families through separation.
“Family relationship centres are a source of information and referral for families at all stages, including people starting relationships, those wanting to make their relationships stronger and those having relationship difficulties,” he said.
“Centres also help separated families to reach agreement about children without going to court,” Mr Ruddock said.
The centre also provides information, advice and dispute resolution to families in the Casey-Cardinia area as well as helping link families to other appropriate services and agencies.
Mr Ruddock said he made a point of personally launching most centres around Australia with Berwick, an area he described as a lovely place, comparable with his own electorate in the north-west of Sydney, being no different.
The opening of the centre is part of a three-year program to establish a national network of 65 Family Relationship Centres throughout the nation.
Mr Ruddock said this action was part of the most significant reform to the family law system in 30 years
Part of this reform included a requirement that separating parents make genuine efforts to resolve issues in dispute before taking a parenting matter to court.
The Berwick centre is one of 25 that began operating in July. The first 15 began operating in July 2006 and a further 25 centres will open from July 2008.
The Berwick Family Relationship Centre is at 1-2, 38 Clyde Road, Berwick.
For more information contact 1800 050 321.