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.