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Dr. Dahlmanns' invitation to Australian Law Librarians to tell the world about their activities in this issue of the International Journal of Law Libraries has been welcomed by the eight librarians to whom it was sent. Three of them, at least, have been happy to let me speak for them. The history of the Australian Law Librarians' Group is almost inextricably wound up with my personal history as a law librarian. While I apologise for being autobiographical this course of action is unavoidable if the true history of the A.L.L.G. is to be written.

Since my last report in this Journal (vol. 1, no. 1, March, 1973, pp. 9-15) quite a few things have happened in the law library field in Australia. I shall deal with the more tangible items first.

The Australian Law Reform Commission's report, Child Welfare, was tabled in the Commonwealth Parliament in November 1981. Although the report deals with child welfare in the A.C.T., many of the issues which are addressed are the same as those being considered in other parts of Australia. The report covers a wide range of matters, including:
young offenders and methods of dealing with them;children in need of care;abused children;the licensing of child care services;children in employment; andwelfare services for children and families.This article will focus on the Commission's recommendations on the reform of the law relating to abused children and other children in need of care.

This article examines the Commonwealth Family Law Amendment Bill 1981 and considers the extent to which some of the proposed reforms will affect family law in Australia.The article analyses existing jurisdictional and procedural limitations of the Family Court originating from the High Court decision in Russell v Russell (1976). It is argued that most of the proposed reforms contained in the Bill are welcome and should improve the financial and psychological position of spouses and children who are subject to the trauma of marital breakdown.