ABSTRACT
In the first few years of the twenty-first century, debates about family law reform in both Britain and Australia have centred around the issues that are of greatest importance to nonresident parents, mostly fathers. This has indeed been the decade of the non-resident parent. Issues concerning post-separation parenting,1 contact enforcement2 and child support3 have dominated the political agenda. Pressure groups are active in the political arena, in particular, groups representing fathers4 and those promoting shared parenting.5 In both countries, there has been discussion about whether there should be a starting point or legal presumption that parents should share in the care of children for equal amounts of time.6
