> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.rytz.com.au/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Education Portal

> RYTZ's comprehensive Australian family-law education database — searchable by section, case type, and urgency. Plain English, practical implications, strategic context. Free for every user.

import { Card, CardGroup, Note, Tip } from '@mintlify/components'

The **Education Portal** at `app.rytz.com.au/education` is RYTZ's plain-English Australian family-law database. It is **free** for every authenticated user — no subscription, no premium gate. If RYTZ does nothing else for you, the Education Portal alone is a substantial resource.

## What's in it

The Portal covers every major Family Law Act section, every landmark case, and every procedural concept you'll encounter as a self-represented party. Each entry includes:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Plain English definition" icon="comments">
    What the section or concept actually means, in language that doesn't assume you've been to law school.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Practical meaning" icon="hand">
    What this looks like when applied to a real matter. The "what does this actually do for me?" view.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Strategic advantage" icon="chess-knight">
    How this section or concept can be used in your favour. When does it matter, when doesn't it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Tactical use" icon="bullseye">
    Specific moves the section enables — particular orders to seek, particular evidence to produce, particular arguments to deploy.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Common mistakes" icon="circle-exclamation">
    Where self-represented parties typically go wrong. The trap to avoid.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Real-world examples" icon="people-line">
    Anonymised matter examples showing the section in operation. Often drawn from published case law, sometimes constructed scenarios.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Related sections" icon="link">
    Cross-references to other Portal entries that connect to this one — saves hours of "I'm not sure if that's the right section" research.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Court precedents" icon="gavel">
    The leading cases on this section, with citations and one-paragraph summaries. Click through for the full Portal entry on the case.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Documentation required" icon="paperclip">
    What evidence the court typically expects when this section is in play.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Timeframes" icon="clock">
    When this matters in the litigation timeline — pre-action, application, interim, trial.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Cost implications" icon="circle-dollar">
    What invoking this section typically costs — court fees, lawyer time, expert time.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Why it's free

Two reasons.

First, knowledge of the law shouldn't be paywalled. Australia has a world-class family-law system but the structural costs (full representation $25–60K, FDR practitioner $300–600/hr) make it inaccessible to many of the people who need it most. The Portal is RYTZ's contribution to closing that access gap.

Second, the Portal is the platform's discovery surface. Most users find RYTZ by searching for a specific concept ("section 60I certificate", "Rice v Asplund", "consent orders Australia") and landing on the Portal entry. From there, the rest of the platform makes more sense.

## How to use it

Three modes:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Search by name" icon="magnifying-glass">
    Know what you're looking for? Type the section number, case name, or concept ("equal shared parental responsibility", "Stanford", "s60I"). Search returns the Portal entry plus any tightly-related entries.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Browse by topic" icon="folder-tree">
    Don't know what to look for? Browse the topic tree: Parenting · Property · Family violence · Children's voices · Procedure · Evidence · Costs · Appeals.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Follow cross-references" icon="diagram-project">
    Most entries link to 5–10 related entries. Following the cross-reference graph from a specific concern produces a structured learning path. Useful for "I have an FDR exemption question" → s60I → exceptions → urgency → safety overlay → s60CG → ...
  </Card>

  <Card title="Ask the AI" icon="message-bot">
    The [AI assistant](/ai/how-the-chat-works) draws on the Portal as one of its grounding sources. Ask "what's the difference between a parenting plan and consent orders?" and the assistant cites the relevant Portal entries in its answer.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## What's covered

A non-exhaustive list of categories with example entries:

### Parenting framework

s60CA · s60CC (post-2024 six-factor structure + s60CC(2A)) · s60CG · s60I · s61DA (post-2024 — presumption repealed) · s63C · s64B · s65DAAA · best interests · meaningful relationship · parental responsibility · shared parental responsibility (post-2024) · primary carer · substantial and significant time

### Property and finance

s79 (post-10-June-2025 codified four-step framework) · s90SM · s75(2) · the four-step framework · contributions · future needs · just and equitable threshold · superannuation splitting · binding financial agreements · economic and financial abuse (post-2025) · companion animals (post-2025) · disclosure obligations (post-2025)

### Family violence

s60CG · s60D · Notice of Risk · ADVO/AVO interaction · safety overlay · economic abuse · dowry abuse · post-separation FV patterns · the s60I exemption pathway

### Procedure

FCFCOA structure (Division 1 vs Division 2) · Initiating Application · Response · Affidavits · Disclosure (s79A obligations) · Service · Court events sequence · Conciliation conference · FDR · Trial · Appeals · Consent Orders · Costs

### Children

Children's views · Independent Children's Lawyer · Family Report · Section 11F report · Child Inclusive Practice · Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural connection · child's age and weight given to views

### Cases

Stanford v Stanford \[2012] HCA 52 · Mallet v Mallet (1984) 156 CLR 605 · Rice v Asplund (1979) FLC 90-725 · M v M \[1988] HCA 68 · Goode & Goode \[2006] FamCA 1346 · Pierce v Pierce \[1999] FamCA 1314 · Polonius & York \[2010] FamCAFC 228 · Bonnici v Bonnici \[1992] FamCA 86 · Kowaliw v Kowaliw \[1981] FamCA 70 · Singerson & Joans \[2014] FamCAFC 238 · Kennon v Kennon \[1997] FamCA 27 · Re Tracey · Howard · Stradford & Stradford \[2019] FamCAFC 25 · Childers & Leslie \[2008] FamCAFC 5 · Goldsmith & Brennan \[2017] FamCAFC 35

## Currency

The Portal is updated as legislation and case law develop. Two recent major rounds:

* **6 May 2024** — Family Law Amendment Act 2023 (Cth) parenting reforms (s60CC restructure, s61DA presumption repealed, s65DAAA codified, ATSI cultural-connection consideration)
* **10 June 2025** — Family Law Amendment Act 2024 (Cth) property reforms (codified four-step framework, FV as express property consideration, companion-animal provisions, enhanced disclosure, asset wastage, ADR for property)

Each Portal entry has a `last_updated` field and an `applies_to` reference. Entries on areas of law currently in flux carry a "watch" indicator — the platform regenerates these entries when new authority lands.

<Note>
  The Portal is educational, not legal advice. Every entry's footer carries the standard disclaimer: read the Portal to understand the framework, then consult a family-law solicitor for matter-specific advice.
</Note>

## Where the Portal connects

* **AI assistant** — uses Portal entries as grounded reference material
* **Parenting Planner** — clause prompts cross-reference Portal entries
* **Settlement Planner** — each step references the Portal entries that frame it
* **Case Roadmap** — each stage links to the Portal entries that explain it
* **Forms Library** — form overview pages link to Portal entries on the legal framework
* **Master Case File** — strategic synthesis cites Portal authority

## What's next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Legal Research Library" icon="book" href="/learn/legal-research-library">
    The companion surface — primary-source case law and section search across 2,389+ Gold Standard vectors. Also free.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Legal Aid eligibility" icon="hand-holding-heart" href="/learn/legal-aid-eligibility">
    Free Australian legal-aid eligibility estimator.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Glossary" icon="book-bookmark" href="/family-law/glossary">
    Quick lookup for terms and acronyms.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Family Law concepts" icon="scale-balanced" href="/family-law/family-law-act-in-five-minutes">
    Curated five-minute orientation to the Act.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>