The Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia finalised more matters in 2025-26, and finalised them faster in key areas, despite filings rising in every jurisdiction, according to the Courts' Annual Report, tabled on 23 October 2026.
More than 119,000 applications were filed across family law, general federal law and migration, around 6 per cent more than the previous year. General federal law filings rose 25.2 per cent and migration filings 17 per cent. Family law remains the Courts' largest jurisdiction, with more than 105,000 first instance applications filed across both Courts.
Key results in 2025-26
- General federal law: 87 per cent of applications finalised within 12 months, up from 78 per cent in 2023-24.
- Fair Work: median time to finalisation down from 9 months to 6.6 months, even as filings have grown 150 per cent since 2021-22.
- Migration: average time from filing to finalisation reduced by 10 months.
- Family law: more interim order applications and divorces finalised than the previous year.
The Honourable Chief Justice Will Alstergren AO said:
"Behind every one of these figures is a family, a business or an individual waiting for a decision that will shape their life. This year's results show that, even with demand rising across every jurisdiction, the Courts are delivering timely outcomes while giving the most complex and vulnerable matters the specialist attention they need."
Responding to complexity and family violence
Family violence is alleged in 84 per cent of parenting matters before the Courts. To manage this risk, the Courts have built risk identification and specialist case management into how matters are run through the Lighthouse program and the high-risk Evatt List, which has taken on more than 6,300 matters since December 2022.
Children's experiences are also reaching decision makers earlier. Child Impact Reports are now completed within 6 to 9 weeks, and the average time to complete a Family Report has halved since 2021.
The highly effective Court Dog Program has expanded to 8 Court Dogs in 7 Registries, reducing the stress and anxiety of thousands of litigants and children.
New ways to resolve property disputes
The national Priority Property Pools pathway now handles 25.1 per cent of property-only applications, up from 8.9 per cent under the former pilot, with most matters finalised by a Registrar.
Services tailored to the people the Courts serve
Indigenous Family Liaison Officers continue to support First Nations families and connect with communities, while interpreter support and the Cultural Liaison Officer program assists a growing migration caseload in which 90 per cent of applicants are unrepresented.
The Annual Report 2025-26 is available at this link: https://www.fcfcoa.gov.au/fcfcoa-annual-reports/2025-26 .
