Senator BROWN (5:45 PM) —I will not delay the committee beyond one more submission, and I thank the minister for that. The difference between the Californian system, as I understand it, and the Australian system is that we encourage the court, with the parents, to come to a dual custodian arrangement, whereas Californian law directs the court to make every effort to see that that is the outcome.

I did speak with the Attorney-General last week about this matter, and I want to take this opportunity to draw the difference to the minister's attention. Would the minister be good enough to ascertain the difference between the Californian situation and the Australian situation, as far as outcomes are concerned, since Australia moved to the encouragement model in 1996? I would be very pleased to know what the difference is, because it is a situation where there is always grounds for improvement. I think it would be excellent for the government to consider the Californian situation if it could be seen that it is working well there and is leading to an arrangement where, more often than in the Australian circumstance, both parents have a joint and equal role in the upbringing of their children.