4 – Commonwealth family law and child support guidelines

Subject to the Commonwealth merits test and the means test, Victoria Legal Aid (VLA) may make a grant of legal assistance where a person meets the relevant guideline in relation to the following Commonwealth family law and child support matters being heard or determined in Victoria:

• early intervention and dispute resolution (see Guideline 1 – Early intervention and dispute resolution)
• family law litigation matters:
  • making and responding to applications for parenting orders (see Guideline 2 – Litigation)
  • making or responding to an application to discharge or vary parenting orders and registered parenting plans (see Guideline 4 – Assistance for applications to discharge or vary parenting arrangements)
  • separate representation of a child in family law proceedings (see Guideline 5 – Independent representation of children)
  • making or responding to applications regarding the parentage of a child (see Guideline 9 – Parentage)
  • special medical procedures involving children (parent in family law proceedings) (see Guideline 10 – Special medical procedures involving children)
  • recovery, location and information orders (see Guideline 11 – Recovery, location and information orders)
  • making or responding to an application for contravention or enforcement of court orders or contempt of court (see Guideline 15 – Contravention and enforcement of court orders and contempt of court)
• child support and child maintenance (see Guideline 6 – Child support and child maintenance) including arrears (see Guideline 8 – Arrears of spousal or child maintenance or child support)
• spousal maintenance (see Guideline 7 – Spousal maintenance) including arrears (see Guideline 8 – Arrears of spousal or child maintenance or child support)
• nullity of marriage (see Guideline 12 – Nullity of marriage)
• appeals in family law or child support matters (see Guideline 14 – Appeals)
• international child abduction matters (see Guideline 16 – International child abduction matters).

This section also contains information upon which to base decisions about jurisdiction of family law proceedings and grants of legal assistance for family law trials and final hearings.