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December 19, 2003 by Roger F. Gay DadsOnTheAir.com is about to bring an amazing story to the internet in the form of a book on recent political developments in Australia. In mid-June 2003, Australian Prime Minister John Howard announced his intent to re-examine the issue of joint-custody through a special committee, making it clear that he did not want delay or typical bureaucratic and partisan politics. "We are asking the committee to report to the parliament by 31 December. There is no point giving it two or three years. I think that six months, given the intensity and amount of public interest in this matter, is an appropriate period of time." "I encourage the committee not to see its remit as a license to recommend large increases in the expenditure of taxpayers' money but rather to look at the structure of these arrangements. I cannot think of anything that is more important to millions of Australians than current custody arrangements. This issue is properly the concern of the national parliament, and I hope it brings forth the genuine bipartisan involvement of the opposition." The story of that inquiry is, perhaps surprisingly, quite a page turner. Professional journalist and DadsOnTheAir.com radio host John Stapleton teamed up with Geoffrey Greene from the Shared Parenting Council of Australia to cover everything from the initial announcement, press reactions, and political maneuvers to the flood of discontent with current custody and child support policy expressed by parents throughout the country. To allow readers an early preview the book, a draft of a chapter entitled "The Weight of Evidence: Individuals Before the Inquiry" is available (PDF format) at the DadsOnTheAir.com website. Additional chapters will be available in the future. "The Weight of the Evidence" provides a direct look into the public meetings held by the committee, as parent after parent, fathers, mothers, and grandmothers take to the microphone to tell their stories and call for justice. For one who has spent years studying, analyzing, and writing about the problems of the new system, it felt like the cavalry had arrived.
Roger F. Gay is a professional analyst and director of Project for the Improvement of Child Support Litigation Technology. Other articles by Roger F. Gay can be found at Fathering Magazine and the MND archive. |
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