Victorian Current Acts Victorian Current ActsS. 222(1) amended by No. 52/2013 s. 19(2).
(1) A conciliation conference is to be attended by the child's parent and the Secretary.
(2) The Court may, in addition, order that any of the following attend—
(a) the child;
(b) a relative or relatives of the child;
(c) in the case of an Aboriginal child, a member of the child's Aboriginal community as agreed to by the child;
(d) if the child's parent is an Aboriginal person, a member of the parent's Aboriginal community as agreed to by the parent;
(e) in the case of a child from an ethnic background, a member of the appropriate ethnic community who is chosen or agreed to by the child or by his or her parent;
(f) if the child has a disability, an advocate for the child;
(g) if the child's parent has a disability, an advocate for the parent;
(h) any other support person for the child requested by the child.
S. 222(3) amended by No. 52/2013 s. 19(2).
(3) If a parent of the child has a legal representative, the legal representative may attend the conciliation conference.
(4) If the child is mature enough to give instructions and has a separate legal representative, the legal representative may attend.
S. 222(5) amended by No. 52/2013 s. 19(2).
(5) If, in exceptional circumstances, the Court determines that it is in the best interests of a child who, in the opinion of the Court is not mature enough to give instructions, for the child to be legally represented at a conciliation conference, the legal representative may attend.
S. 222(6) amended by No. 52/2013 s. 19(2).
(6) Nothing in section 524 (except subsections (10) and (11)) or 525 applies to a conciliation conference.
S. 222(7) inserted by No. 52/2013 s. 19(3).
(7) A convenor or the convenors of a conciliation conference may—
(a) permit any other person to attend the conference; and
(b) specify whether, or in what manner, the person may participate in the conference; and
(c) require the person to leave the conference at any time; and
(d) require that any other specified person not attend the conference.
S. 222(8) inserted by No. 11/2021 s. 31.
(8) A convenor of a conciliation conference may permit one or more persons referred to in this section to attend the conciliation by means of audio link or audio visual link.