The Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) encourages parents to resolve disputes without going to court and, where possible, to have cooperative and shared parenting after separation.

Family law proceedings for all children, whether their parents are married or not, are covered by Part VII of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) and all references in this section are to this Act unless stated otherwise.

Under the Act, each parent has parental responsibility for their children until they turn 18 (or earlier if the child marries) [s 61C]. This responsibility is not diminished by any orders made in respect of the parenting of the child except to the extent specifically provided in the order.

The Commonwealth Attorney-General's Department has a comprehensive guide titled Parenting Orders - What You Need to Know.

The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia has put together a video titled How the court process works for parenting cases.