Senator ELLISON (Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Health and Family Services and Parliamentary Secretary to the Attorney-General)(4.46 p.m.) —The average number of sessions envisaged is 1.8, which I believe would be in the region of $60. I think that is something of a yardstick. Of course, that would vary, though, depending on the circumstances. When looking at this issue, the government had regard to fees charged by the various agencies in the community.

Senator Cooney touched on the fact that this can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. For instance, looking at fees charged by Centacare, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia apply different fees according to the financial situation of the people concerned. In relation to Relationships Australia, the level is again a bit different. So the government really had to look at a variety of fees which are being charged in the community and then draw from that what might be an appropriate fee. I must stress, as I indicated earlier, this has been negotiated with the Family Court and the regulations will reflect this. That is how the government approached it.