Family Matters
Print and Online subscriptions are available.
Family Matters is the research journal of the Australian Institute of Family Studies - the principal means by which the Australian and international community is informed about Institute and other family-related research. ISSN 1030-2646




Family Matters contains the latest Institute research and contributions from Australia's most respected social scientists, social policy analysts, service provider and research agencies. Prospective authors should read our Guidelines for Authors for information about writing for Family Matters. All research papers are subject to a formal review process. Most issues have a particular theme or focus.
Most recent editions of Family Matters (tables of contents and abstacts of articles)
- No. 79 2008 - Focuses on the valuable work of Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children' (LSAC)
- No. 78 2008 - Focuses on the challenges that face some families - poverty, deprivation, homelessness, caring for a disabled family member, parenting following separation, and child abuse
- No. 77 2007 - Family relationships and the new family law system; programs to help stepfamilies and pre-marriage education; parent-child relationships
Family Matters (available in full text on an article by article basis)
- No. 76 2007 - "Families care" highlighting the range of different ways that families care for each other
- No. 75 2006 - Indigenous children, families and communities
- No. 74 2006 - Children in context - mothers' age and work characteristics, child and family services, neighbourhoods and community development
- No. 73 2006 - Family relationships through life - the Institute's research plan 2006-2008, and relationship trends in marriage and parenting
- No. 72 Summer 2005 - Growing Up in Australia: the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children - first findings
- No. 71 Winter 2005 - Time with children after divorce, mothers' employment transitions
- No. 70 Autumn 2005 - Allocating time to work and family
- No. 69 Spring/Summer 2004 - Aspirations, expectations and decisions about having children
- No. 68 Winter 2004 - Adolescent development, aspirations and becoming adult, and shaping new life patterns
- No. 67 Autumn 2004 - Children's living arrangements after parental separation
- No. 66 Spring/Summer 2003 - Ageing: issues for Australian families
- No. 65 Winter 2003 - in the best interests of children
- No. 64 Autumn 2003 - family trends - changing patterns of partnering, parents' child care choices
- No. 63 Summer 2002 - fertility - the debate, the trends, the aspirations
- No. 62 Winter 2002 - a diverse array of articles about the family in Australia
- No. 61 Autumn 2002 - work and family life - our workplaces, families and futures
- No. 60 Spring/Summer 2001 - celebrating: Federation - 100 years; Australian Institute of Family Studies - 21 years; Family Court of Australia - 25 years
- No. 59 Winter 2001 - Family structures, family processes - supporting children and their families
- No. 58 Autumn 2001 - Searching for family resilience; Foregone earnings through child rearing; Meeting the challenges of parenting
- No. 57 Spring/Summer 2000 - Adolescents and community; Child support and parenting; Social capital and social security
- No. 56 Winter 2000 - Family futures: issues in research and policy - keynote addresses from the Institute's major research conference.
- No. 55 Autumn 2000 - Featuring latest Institute research - Families, divorce and family law
- No. 54 Spring/Summer 1999 - Families, welfare and social policy
- No. 53 Winter 1999 - Strong families: National Families Strategy; Costs of children - new research
- No. 52 Autumn 1999 - Ageing and families - the International Year of Older Persons
- No. 51 Spring/Summer 1998 - Changing families - challenging futures - keynote addresses from the Institute's 6th Conference
- No. 50 Winter 1998 - Social exchanges - families, communities, states and markets
- No. 49 Autumn 1998 - Social environments and the wellbeing of young people; Adolescents' perceptions of self, work and future
- No. 48 Spring/Summer 1997 - Family values: is there agreement? Also featuring family relations and later life; the role of fathers as confidants for teenagers; understanding parenthood
- No. 47 Winter 1997 - New findings - marriage, cohabitation and family life; experiences and expectations of older married couples
- No. 46 Autumn 1997 - Highlights and papers from the Institute's Fifth Australian Family Research Conference
- No. 45 Spring/Summer 1996 - Parents caring for children; Children caring for parents
- No. 44 Winter 1996 - Health and the family
- No. 43 Autumn 1996 - Australian living standards - new research
- No. 42 Spring/Summer 1995 - Child support; Family and child perspectives on justice; Combating child sexual assault - new measures
- No. 41 Winter 1995 - Family ties: adults and their parents; Family networks in urban and rural settings; Links between child abuse and family violence; Impact of the work environment on workers with families
- No. 40 Autumn 1995 - Changes at the heart of family households; Children's rights in family law disputes; Child protection policies
- No. 39 December 1994 - Friends, families and support: Help from parents: does divorce make a difference? Older generations and family support; Young adult friendships
- No. 38 August 1994 - Youth today
Most major articles from the following earlier editions of Family Matters are also available:
- No. 37 April 1994 - IYF - many faces of families
- No. 36 December 1993 - Parenting in the 90s
- No. 35 August 1993 - Indigenous Australians
- No. 34 May 1993 - Family research in Australia - 4th Australian Family Research Conference
- No. 33 December 1992 - Children's rights
- No. 32 August 1992 - Extended family in Australia
- No. 31 April 1992 - Living day to day: sharing the caring; The changing role of husbands and fathers; Starting over: new families, new finances; Stepfathers in children's lives; Big business, small business, family business; Families in the recession
- No. 30 December 1991 - Issues for the 1990s: unemployment; homeless families; economics - putting people first; marriage trends; child care, family care; family law; becoming adult; Ageing - everybody's future
- No. 29 August 1991 - Family values
- No. 28 April 1991 - Balancing family and work: strategies for the future
- No. 27 November 1990 - Australia's children: their rights, our responsibilities
Family Matters content reflects a balanced mix of articles and includes: research papers; regular columns on family research in Australia and overseas; diverse perspectives and analyses of family related research and policy; and a comprehensive listing of new publications and forthcoming events. Our Guidelines for Authors and careful editing ensure that articles are clear and understandable to the widest possible audience.
Subscribe to Family Matters
Three editions of Family Matters are published annually.
Print subscription
Subscription prices for 2008 (including GST): Issues 79, 80, 81, 82*
Australia (Individual) - $66.00
Australia (Organisation) - $99.00
International - $120.00
* Note that for 2008/2009 only, the subscription will include an extra issue due to the Institute realigning the subscription period to the financial year.
Family Matters Order form (PDF 97K)
Family Matters online
Family Matters is available as an online subscription from RMIT Publishing. Subscription provides the latest edition plus back issues (to No.60, 2001)
all in one location. Articles are available in HTML for easy viewing online and PDF for printing. Further details and an online subscription form are on
RMIT's Informit e-Library site.
Email RMIT Publishing for details of current pricing: subscriptions@informit.com.au
