I want to say first of all, the maximum contact principle that keeps being referred to is that the children should have maximum contact with the parents as is in their best interest. There is no such presumption now, nor should there be in future.
This crosses political lines. This has been something that the previous Conservative government supported as well, keeping the focus on best interests.
I would refer back to the federal government's Special Joint Committee on Child Custody and Access, which provided a detailed report, “For the Sake of the Children”. That concluded that children are not served by legal presumptions in favour of either parent or any particular parenting arrangement.
Again, equal parenting is open to families where it works for their children. What is wrong with the presumption is that it takes the focus off the child and puts it on the parent. We want the focus to remain on the child.