Family courts and the in-camera rule: Lisa Ann Wilkinson discusses calls for greater transparency

Family law barrister discusses concerns that reporting restrictions can prevent survivors from speaking publicly about their experiences

Behind closed doors in the family law courts with Lisa-Ann Wilkinson.

Family courts remain largely closed to public scrutiny, with the in-camera rule severely limiting reporting and prohibiting the identification of those involved in proceedings.

However, a new campaign argues that the rule can shield abusers, while the family courts are being used by abusive former partners against the victims seeking to escape them.

Lisa Ann Wilkinson, a family law barrister, board member of survivors' group SiSi, and one of the founders of the Right to Transparency campaign, is the guest on today's episode of The Deirdre O'Shaughnessy Podcast.

She has represented women who were imprisoned for refusing to allow their abusive former partners access to their children.

"I probably know about five or six women who were imprisoned when their children were resisting access with somebody who had either safety orders against them, breaches of safety orders, or convictions for domestic violence. They are still forced on access," she said.

"I know one mother whose ex is in prison for assault and coercive control and [she] still has to bring the children in to visit them. And that woman can't talk about it, you know, they can't speak to it," she said.

"And I now know of six or seven people aged 18 and over who were subject to these types of access orders who are now incredibly damaged... some of them are profoundly damaged by being forced into contact and the state is going to have a huge, huge problem on its hands with these now adult survivors expressing the fact that the court process of forced access has caused them damage."