Redressing the balance: how Australia’s approach under the Hague Abduction Convention is still endangering victims of domestic violence

This article explores how Australian courts consider allegations of domestic violence under Article 13(1)(b) of the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. As is now well known, there has been a paradigm shift since the Convention’s introduction, which has seen the circumstances and underlying reasons for international child abduction change. Through an examination of Australian case law from the past 5 years, this article reveals the issues that taking mothers continue to face in Australian return proceedings and the concerning reality that the courts continue to prioritise a prompt return over the safety and well-being of women and children exposed to domestic violence. This is despite feminist legal scholars and activists demonstrating for over 20 years that domestic violence is not being adequately dealt with in return proceedings and calling for change. The article discusses how the huge inequality in legal representation for taking mothers and left-behind fathers adds to the imbalance in these matters. Unfortunately, the recent Hague Conference Guide to Good Practice in such cases is unlikely to affect any substantive change to redress that imbalance. Suggestions for ways to redress the balance between taking mothers and left-behind fathers are suggested.