With the Australian government expected to soon debate the recently proposed ground-breaking Family Law reform amendments, organisations like Fathers4Equality have been gearing up their lobbying efforts in order to convince the government that children from separated families have a right to an equal and enduring relationship with both parents after separation.
With the use of cutting edge technology to help its membership get its message across to the government, Fathers4Equality have managed to get the written support of over one third of parliament (and the interest of a further one third), for the introduction of a presumption of equal parenting time in the event of separation. (*rebuttable if child abuse can be substantiated, or if the parents agree to an alternate arrangement.)
"Community values and expectations have changed, and Australia's family laws need to reflect our changing values", says Ash Patil, President of Fathers4Equality. "In line with these changes, we have also taken our own advise and embraced technology to get our message across to the government."
Having generated sufficient interest from its members and supporters in the democracy and accountability of "internet lobbying tools", members have ended up sending more than 100,000 emails to the government in less than 3 months, voicing their opinion on this matter.
Fathers4Equality are now pushing forward with further enhancements to their powerful collection community empowing technology. With the inclusion of the Parliamentary Megaphone, the Online Equal Parenting Petition, the Community Forum, Online Polls and Questionnaires, and the Fathers4Equality mailing list, members and supporters for the best interests of children after separation are voicing their opinions, and this silent majority are finally being heard by our representatives in parliament.
fathermag.com