In regards to parental orders, the law highly reflects moral and ethical standards. With this, the law must be effective in achieving justice for both individuals and for society. Children have rights, and parents have responsibilities; however this was not always the case. The rights of children were not recognised by law until the nineteenth century. The Family Law Reform Act 1995 (s. 61b) defines parental responsibility as: `all the duties, responsibilities and authority which, by law, parents have in relation to children.' Due to the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth), a child's welfare is of `paramount consideration' when decisions are made in relation to a child. This introduced moral and ethical standards for the child.

The objective of the Family Law Reform Act 1995 is to `ensure that children receive adequate and proper parenting to help them achieve their full potential.' This clearly shows moral and ethical standards...