Evaluate the effectiveness of the law in responding to the changing nature of the family.

Family law is continually undergoing change. As the definition of a family so does the legislation that protects it. A family has become more nuclear and less extended in nature, grandparents are now often the responsibility of the government rather than the family. The Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) defines a family as 'the natural and fundamental group unit in society, particularly while it is responsible for care and education of dependent children". The composition of …

…courts enforced a number of decisions that reflect the discrimination that same sex couples experienced for example R v McEwan 1996. * The federal government officially recognised same sex couples in the 1996 census * In 1999 the Property (Relationships) Legislation Amendments Act 1999 (NSW) was passed under this act same sex couples had the same rights and responsibilities as other defacto couples. As the definition of family changes so does the law. Sometimes this change is effective and benefits society.