This course provides a socio-legal exploration of some of the issues relating to families in Australia. Through a critique of the law, you will study the ways the state operates to regulate, maintain and control the notion of family. You will learn about the historical and cultural context of family law in Australia, including the changing nature of the family and the ways that the law has dealt with that change. The course includes concepts of children's rights (including the issue of child abuse) and parental responsibility, financial issues relating to separation and divorce, and dispute resolution options. You will also consider international aspects of family law, including international child abduction, the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.