In its submission on the Family Law Amendment (Family Violence and Cross-examination of Parties) Bill 2017, South East Monash Legal Service strongly supported measures to prevent victim-survivors of family violence from being directly cross-examined by alleged perpetrators in family law proceedings.
SMLS advocated for a model that provides qualified legal representation for cross-examination, arguing that this approach would better protect victim-survivors from further trauma while maintaining procedural fairness and ensuring evidence is properly tested before the court
