Aaron Cockman launches new Foundation
& calls for Royal Commission into family law system
Parliament House, Canberra: 14 February 2019
Margaret River dad, Aaron Cockman, today launched the aaron4kids foundation at Parliament House, Canberra. And, together with children’s advocates For Kids Sake, called on the Prime Minister to initiate a Royal Commission into the family law system, as well as looking at safer, healthier ways of addressing family breakdown. They join a growing chorus that includes Justice John Pascoe who, as Chief Justice of the Family Court last year, took the unprecedented step of calling for a Royal Commission into his own institution.
Aaron Cockman, whose four children were murdered, with other family members, near Margaret River nine months ago, took his second flight in 16 years to return to Canberra to launch the foundation dedicated to supporting the safest and healthiest initiatives for children exposed to family breakdown – and keeping kids out of family courts.
The aaron4kids foundation will be part of children’s advocates group For Kids Sake which has been leading the call nationally for a fresh approach to family separation and has already met with 40% of all federal MPs and Senators to promote this issue. Mr Cockman has begun to raise funds for this foundation through an online campaign:
“It gives me something to live for,” said Mr Cockman, a master carpenter from Margaret River who says he won’t rest until he sees major change in how Australia deals with separating families. “We have to do so much more to keep children away from lawyers and family courts,” said Mr Cockman, who believes that, had it not been for the involvement of lawyers and courts, his four children, Taye, Rylan, Ayre and Kayden, would be alive today.
“Family separation or divorce is one of the biggest, yet least recognised, health risks for Aussie kids”
“Family separation or divorce is one of biggest, yet least recognised, health risks for Aussie kids,” said For Kids Sake CEO, Dr David Curl. “It’s one of the major causes of childhood trauma today, especially when our adversarial court system gets involved. It can lead to teenage self-harming behaviour and significantly increased risks of mental and physical illness. Tragically, family court proceedings are also one of the common denominators in some of Australia’s most horrific child murders.”
For Kids Sake’s new policy paper “Childhood Matters 2019”, also launched today at Parliament House, calls on the government to adopt a new approach to family breakdown and to invest in proven, healthier approaches than the family court system.
“We have to stop treating family separation as a legal issue. It’s a child health issue and a major social issue.”
“We have to stop treating family separation as a legal issue. It’s a child health issue and a major social issue,” said Dr Curl. “Children need great support when their families separate. We’ve got to start recognising that every child in a separating family is potentially exposed to all sorts of risks – and separating parents are exceptionally vulnerable and need support and compassion too.”
“We will look back in horror, one day, at the harm we caused to our children as a result of the family court system we have today – much as we have done with other institutions subject to recent Royal Commissions.”
“If the chief judge of our family courts is calling for a Royal Commission, surely it’s time for all politicians to listen. Four decades of our family court experiment and innumerable reviews have failed to do what’s best for children. And hundreds of thousands of Australians have been harmed as a result. We call on this Prime Minister to be the one to initiate the Royal Commission that Australia has to have.”
“It feels like my kids were here just yesterday,” said Mr Cockman, who’s now determined to make a difference for other families and their children. “I lost my kids because of our family law system, I believe. My strength will always be there to want to change the system. With the aaron4kids foundation we can support initiatives that really will help save kids’ lives.”