Domestic and family violence – Some people, including some Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people prefer the term ‘family violence’ because it describes a wide ra
nge of relationships where violence may take place, and as it highlights the effects of abuse on the whole family. Other people prefer the term ‘domestic violence’ as it describes the dynamics which can exist particularly in an abusive relationship between intimate partners. Throughout this website, we talk about domestic and family violence.
To find out more, see what is domestic and family violence?
Victim/ Survivor – Some people who are experiencing, or who have experienced domestic and family violence use the term ‘victim’ to describe themselves. Others think ‘survivor’ more accurately reflects their experience. We acknowledge every person’s experience is unique and individual to their circumstances. For consistency, we sometimes talk about people experiencing, or who have experienced domestic and family violence, as ‘victims’.
Family/ Parent –We acknowledge every family is different. Often a child is cared for by a person who is not their biological parent. For example, a grandparent, aunty, uncle, sibling, non-biological parent or foster carer. For consistency, when talking about family law, we talk about a child’s ‘parents’. This information may also be relevant for non-biological parents.
Family Courts – Family law disputes can be dealt with in different courts. When talking about family law disputes, we talk about the ‘Family Courts’ which includes:
- the Federal Circuit Court of Australia
- the Family Court of Australia
- the Family Court of Western Australia
Sometimes, family law disputes are also dealt with in the Local or Magistrates’ Court. See, how does the family law system work?
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