- Title
- Media, men and violence in Australian divorce
- Creator
- James, Colin
- Relation
- Alternative Law Journal Vol. 31, Issue 1, p. 6-10
- Relation
- http://www.altlj.org/index.php?option=Articles&task=viewarticle&artid=48#1
- Publisher
- Legal Service Bulletin Co-Operative Ltd.
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2006
- Description
- This article begins to examine the response of the popular media in Australia to domestic violence by men against women and to male violence against the Family Court and its judges. The introduction of the Family Law Act in 1976 enabled many women to leave their abusive husbands and to apply for divorce without needing to prove matrimonial fault. Some men reacted violently to their wives' decisions to leave and it is argued this caused an increase in what we now call domestic violence. Some men also attacked the Family Court which they blamed for discriminating against them in children's matters, property settlement and child support. The article shows that some media reporting of domestic violence was 'neutral' as if domestic violence could be justified in some circumstances and should not be reported like other crimes. The author suggests the federal government has seized on the media reporting of the violence over the years to help create a false 'mainstream' conservative view and build a case for reversing some of the initiatives of the Family Law Act, for example by introducing joint custody in the guise of 'shared care'.
- Subject
- popular media; Australia; Family Law Act 1976; domestic violence; divorce; male violence
- Identifier
- uon:2783
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/31725
- Identifier
- ISSN:1037-969X
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