In mutlicultural Australia, breakdown of a marriage can sometimes lead to complex and distressing situations, particularly when one parent takes a child overseas, depriving the other parent of contact. The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction provides a legal framework to address such issues.
Access Arrangements
When a parent or guardian lives in a different country to their child, access arrangements may be needed to ensure they can contact the child include visits by the parent, email, phone and video calls. If you are being denied access by other parent, you may wish to make an application under the Hague Convention for access with the child.
Application
If you are seeking access to child in a country that is a member of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, you can seek assistance from the Australian Central Authority (ACA).
It is recommended you to seek legal advice in the country about your options. You can find more information about making an access application in the following link: Application form – Access to a child under the Hague Convention.
You can sent the completed application to ACA at: International Family Law Section, Attorney-General’s Department, 3-5 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600 Australia.