Parties and practitioners are expected to turn on video, respect etiquette
The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (FCFCOA) has announced the establishment of a pilot program for electronic divorce hearings conducted via video for matters in the Parramatta, Townsville, and Rockhampton registries.
Effective 15 May 2026, for divorce proceedings in these three registries that require the parties to attend hearings before a deputy registrar, those involved will utilise Webex for their hearings.
Parties and practitioners in such divorce proceedings can join Webex hearings from their computer, smartphone, or another appropriate device by clicking the relevant audio- and video-enabled link, posted on the Commonwealth courts portal and the daily court list by 4 P.M. AEST the day before the scheduled hearing date.
For all these Webex hearings for divorce proceedings, the FCFCOA expects parties and practitioners to:
If unable to appear by video, a party can still appear at the divorce hearing via telephone. The webpage for the pilot program for divorce hearings to be conducted by video will post the relevant details regarding telephone appearances for the registries involved.
If there are safety concerns or technology limitations, the deputy registrar has the discretion to permit parties or practitioners in these divorce proceedings to appear without video.
In its practice and procedure update, the FCFCOA explained that its pilot for the use of video hearings aims to:
The FCFCOA noted that the trial will continue for an appropriate period of time. The courts said they would communicate any changes to the current procedure in a future practice and procedure update.
Before the recent update, for any divorce hearing in which a party requested or something else required an appearance before a deputy registrar, the hearing would only occur via telephone.
