Broken Fathers Podcast

• Episode 14 - Jeffrey Morgan - Child Support Refused to let me Leave the Country

  Send us a textEpisode 14Guest – Jeffrey MorganOn our fourteenth episode, I have a compelling story to share. Joining me is Jeffrey Morgan, a 51-year-old father of three from Sydney. Jeff's journey has been marked by significant adversity. He left home at the young age of 12 due to abuse and experienced homelessness, spending his formative years on Eveleigh Street in Redfern. As Jeff describes it, in that environment, ending up in jail felt almost inevitable. Adding to these hardships, Jeff faced the loss of both parents to cancer, and tragically, his sister and brother died by suicide. He also lived a period where he became one of Australia's most notorious bank robbers, collectively spending 20 years in and out of maximum-security prisons between 1991 and 2010. Beyond these well-known aspects of his life, Jeff also navigated the complexities of the child support system for seven years. Growing up as one of eight children with a single mother, Jeff recalls moments with his father, such as being taken to the BMX track every Friday afternoon, which his father likely saw as bonding time. However, in retrospect, Jeff understands his father's primary motivation was the TAB located next to the track. His father was a baker, and while that might sound appealing with daily access to pastries, Jeff reflects that the novelty quickly wore off. Jeff vividly remembers the difficult day when both his parents asked him which parent he wanted to live with, a situation where he longed to live with both. In a more recent chapter, Jeff experienced an unexpected hurdle while attempting to leave Australia for a prepaid $22,000 holiday in Bali. At the airport, he was stopped and taken into a room with an AFP and ABF Officer. To his surprise, he was informed that he had approximately $10,000 in overdue child support payments. A representative from child support, speaking via loudspeaker, declared that Jeff was not permitted to leave the country. Seeing a straightforward solution, Jeff immediately offered to pay the outstanding amount with his credit card. However, the child support representative refused to accept his payment. Astonishingly, the AFP officer intervened, pointing out to the child support employee that while a problem had been identified, Jeff had presented a viable solution for payment and should be allowed to proceed with his travel. To add to the shock of the situation, Jeff discovered he had a child he wasn't even aware of. Many years ago, he had a brief encounter with a woman, and this was how he learned he had a son. Despite Jeff's offer to pay the outstanding child support debt on the spot immediately and having the backing of the Australian Federal Police, Child Support still prevented him from leaving the country. Frustrated by what he rightly perceived as a misuse of power; Jeff spent the next seven years battling Child Support in court. Despite his repeated appearances every few months, each visit only resulted in a request to fill out yet another form. Understandably, Jeff often wondered why he wasn't simply given the correct form from the beginning. Eventually, the stress of this protracted legal battle led his lawyer to withdraw from the case. Fortunately, Jeff's situation took a turn when he found Crystal from Child Support Consultants. With 14 years of experience working within Child Support, Crystal now runs her own consultancy. Remarkably, she was able to resolve Jeff's issues swiftly and secure the removal of his (DPO) Departure Prohibition Order, allowing him to finally travel. If you're currently navigating the complexities and frustrations of dealing with child support, this is an episode you won't want to miss.

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• Episode 13 - Todd & Hannah Morley - My Ex Wife Stole Everything

  Send us a textEpisode 13Guest – Todd & Hannah MorleyOn today’s episode I am joined with a Todd, a 40-year-old Broken father from the Nowra area , was previously working in Juvenile justice. He has one child, and is joined with his wife Hannah, 31 owns a beauty clinic. Hannah has a daughter from a previous relationship, who had perfect co-parenting relationship for 7 years, up until Todds family court case wrapped up. Wait till you hear why it has tuned pear shape. Growing up in Manly and Culburra, Todd did so without the presence of his biological father. His family also endured the profound loss of his brother Dean, who passed away from cot death at the age of two. Subsequently, a car accident tragically resulted in the passing of his sister Crystal at the young age of seven; thankfully, Todd, his brother Steven, and his mother survived this difficult event. Todd met his former partner at the age of 16. Their relationship progressed, leading to an engagement at nineteen and marriage at twenty-one. In 2010, They welcomed their son into the world. Whilst recovering from a back injury working for the family business, Todd undertook the role of a School Support Officer, also known as an Aboriginal Case Worker, which provided a foundation for your subsequent career in juvenile justice. Before Todd knew, his brother and mother-in-law, and the police arrived at his home, demanding he pack his belongings and leave. Adding to the shock, they wouldn’t explain to Todd why he had to leave and then was threatened by his former brother-in-law, "The Bondi Bouncer,. As is too often I have with all fathers on my platform, following a breakup, a list of serious allegations quickly surfaced. Before he knew it, Todd was served with an AVO that also included his son's name, preventing him from seeing him. Ironically, the same "Bondi Bouncer" who had threatened Todd later also had an AVO served against Todd. Todd found unwavering support in his now-wife, Hannah, who stood by him from the beginning. He faced a significant number of serious charges, including rape, stalking, domestic violence, and choking, which ultimately led to a trial. The initial trial was adjourned due to court backlogs from a previous case, costing Todd and Hannah a substantial $130,000. A second trial also faced adjournment when Todd's mother-in-law cited a scheduled surgery, adding another $120,000 to their expenses. In a third attempt to go to trial, the prosecution presented a massive 7,500 pages of Cellebrite data in what seemed like a scare tactic. But they didn’t take it another trial date was set this time coast were awarded against the police prosecutor for corruption. 75,000 was paid to Todd towards his next court case. Despite the extensive Cellebrite data, no evidence of domestic violence or criminal behaviour from Todd was found. In fact, the only relevant message uncovered by the police was from his ex, boasting to a friend about hitting Todd in the face. Interesting factor to not is Todd’s Ex father-in-law was a Senior Sargent of local highway patrol, however retired on day 5 of his trial. I question if he was behind getting the trails adjourned so he could tick his time over so he could get his golden cuff pension. After 13 long days with a 13-person jury, the judge dismissed the court, only to call everyone back within the hour—they had reached a verdict. Interestingly, Todd's ex-partner, who made serious allegations, didn't want to be present for the verdict. The jury delivered their decision: NOT GUILTY on all charges. Apparently, the jury members were visibly emotional as they announced the verdict. Todd remained puzzled by their tears until several months later when a juror approached him. The juror explained that they had known Todd was innocent from the very first day of the trial but were obligated to endure t

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• Episode 12 - Dan White - My Child was Abducted to Japan

  Send us a textEpisode 12Guest - Dan WhiteIn our upcoming episode, I'll be speaking with Dan, a 35-year-old father from the Gold Coast who works in scheduling. Dan has a daughter who was born and raised in Australia, but unfortunately was taken to Japan, and was unlawfully kept there without Dan’s consent and he hasn't been able to see her for the past two years.In May 2018, Dan advertised his spare room for rent and met his ex-partner. She moved in a few days later, and they quickly became very close. Although she initially only intended to stay for three months before returning to Japan, Dan realized he was in love with her after she left. He decided to follow her to Japan, and soon after, they both returned to Australia to build a life together. In 2019, as Dan's visa was nearing its expiration, his ex-partner sponsored him to stay in Australia. Unbeknownst to Dan, his ex-partner had previously obtained a Domestic Violence Order (DVO) against a former boyfriend, which allowed her to gain permanent residency. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began, and their relationship faced challenges. His ex-partner pressured him for a wedding ring, and they argued about her going off birth control. According to Dan, his ex-partner timed her cycle and insisted on having sex, which resulted in her becoming pregnant. In 2022, Dan became a father. They decide to go to Japan and to visit his ex-family with their newborn.Dan has informed me that despite Japan signing the Hague convention, they are non-compliant. Upon his return to his father's home, all communication with Dan, his family, and acquaintances was blocked. He subsequently raised funds and consulted a lawyer in Brisbane, who indicated limited options. He understands that the Japanese ruling often grants custody to the parent last holding the child, which he believes incentivizes parental abduction.Dan also notes that, like Australia, fabricated domestic violence claims are reportedly common in Japan. In February 2023, the Australian embassy in Tokyo informed Dan, they could not assist him. His daughter carries his surname internationally, but a Japanese passport only requires one parent's signature.I acknowledge Dan's ongoing efforts to be reunited with his daughter. He recently returned to Japan, this time with another parent searching for their abducted child. Upon arriving at the address where they believed his daughter was, they were met by eight police officers. After exhausting all possible avenues in Japan, he returned to Australia.Since then, "60 Minutes" has contacted Dan to share his story. However, Dan's ex-partner appears to be taking steps to counter this. Before his story could air, Dan received threatening emails from his ex-partner's legal team, instructing him not to speak publicly about the matter. Despite these threats, Dan recognizes them as tactics often employed in such situations.However, this was not for reconciliation but to express her embarrassment over the media coverage. She proposed that Dan could have one hour of phone contact per week with his daughter in exchange for an upfront payment of $30,000 and $600 monthly payments.Dan describes this entire process as an emotional roller coaster, with moments of hope followed by setbacks. He also shared his experience of Japan not being the easily navigable place it's often portrayed, especially while dealing with the profound absence of his child. Dan and I have discussed his ex-partner's apparent unwillingness to have her daughter's father involved in her life. We both feel that the current system often favours the mother, citing government incentives such as grants, DV leave entitlements, potential advantages in property settlements based on DV claims, and the availability of women's legal services without equivalent resources fo

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• Episode 11 - Brett King - The Judge sent his Son Back to his ABUSER

  Send us a textEpisode 11Guest - Brett KingEpisode 10On our next episode of the Broken Fathers Podcast features Brett King, a 49-year-old father of three from the Gold Coast who works in civil construction.Brett, originally from New Zealand, married in 1998 and had two children. He was diagnosed with "Primary Nephrotic Syndrome" and underwent chemotherapy. Working extensive hours led to financial and domestic issues, including the discovery of unauthorized credit cards taken out in his name by his then-partner who forged his signature.Seeking a fresh start, they moved to Australia, where Brett quickly found work in Blackwater. Brett making a working hard for a good salary, saw him build a new home in Emerald during the mining boom in 2008. Unfortunately, his partner became abusive and ended the relationship shortly after they moved in. Brett later discovered she was having an affair with the dirtbag neighbour directly across the road. Despite this, Brett provided significant financial support to his ex-partner, renting her a new place, paying all her bills, groceries and furniture whilst maintaining the mortgage and children.Meanwhile, Brett was providing $1,000 a week in child support while his ex-partner refused to work. Brett experienced difficulties protecting his children from their mother's abusive partner, with child safety offering no assistance. Mediation resulted in a parenting plan that was ineffective. His partner's pregnancy escalated conflict with his ex-partner, who unsuccessfully pursued a DVO against him. Workplace harassment related to these issues led to his resignation.During property settlement, his ex-partner initially sought 73% of assets. However, Brett disclosed her prior affair and financial misconduct in New Zealand, leading to a revised settlement of 55%. The day before Brett’s wedding, he had a check-up in Rockhampton and was informed he was out of admission, stated chemo after the wedding for a second time to try and wipe immune system to retrigger it.While on night shift, Brett received a devastating call from his wife. The two older children disclosed that the dirtbag neighbour’s son had been inappropriately touching them.Tragically, the neighbour’s son admitted to these actions, leading his dirtbag father to attempt suicide upon realizing the severity of the situation, knowing what was all about to come out. Subsequent confirmation revealed Brett's oldest son had been raped and his daughter interfered with.As any devoted parent would, Brett took full-time care of his children. However, at the final hearing, in a decision delivered while Brett was muted in a lawyer’s office, the judge awarded custody back to their mother. Brett later learned this unusual arrangement from the judge doing it in a lawyer’s office was due to a previous incident where a father had tragically poured petrol on himself outside the Brisbane family courthouse following a similar ruling. Despite the children's fear and reluctance, Brett and his wife were forced to prepare them for a return to an unsafe environment as mandated by the judge. The handover was a traumatic scene, requiring six police officers to restrain Brett as his ex-partner's boyfriend took the children. Even the attending police officers, who had conducted the initial investigation and found a clear case, were astounded by the judge's decision, given the presented evidence. Years later, now of age, Brett's two oldest children expressed their desire to remain with him permanently, refusing to return to their mother. When their mother called the police, the attending officers, after speaking with the children and hearing their wishes, respected their decision and left. To this day, their mother has never acknowledged her role in these events nor apologized to her two children. But wait,

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• Episode 10 - Warwick Knowles - My EX used the System to Take my Kids off me

  Send us a textEpisode 10Guest - Warwick KnowlesOn the tenth episode, I had a very moving conversation with Warwick, a 42-year-old father from Wollongong who has been managing his family's locksmith business for the past two decades. He was joined by his partner Yasenka, who works as a teacher.Warwick recounted his upbringing, with his father in the army and his mother as a nurse. He also spoke candidly about the profound impact of his brother's passing in 2003 on himself and his family.He described the life-changing experience of his son's birth in 2010, a sentiment I know many fathers can relate to. Three years later, in 2013, the arrival of his daughter brought another unique set of experiences.Later in 2018, Warwick met his current partner, who has three children from a previous marriage. Yasenka also shared her experiences of supporting Warwick through an ongoing court process and the toll it took on her and her children. She discussed the challenges of navigating different household rules with her and Warwick children.Warwick reflected on a moment when he saw a TikTok video of his daughter and felt a disconnect, realizing he no longer knew who she was.Both Warwick and Yasenka spoke about the seemingly endless court-mandated requests and courses, which often felt disregarded by the judge even upon completion. They detailed the significant sacrifices they made for the children, including selling their home and relocating to be closer to their school.Like every other father I've had on, Warwick also faced allegations that he was unsafe around the kids. Warwick shared the difficult decision he faced to step back, even though he drives past them daily, grappling with the possibility that his children might not want to see him.He openly discussed the emotional toll of these experiences, admitting to feeling broken and even reaching a point of considering suicide, alongside struggles with heavy drinking and significant weight gain. Yasenka described this as a damaging cycle caused by the family court, that also added more stress at home when their new baby was born.Ultimately, this insightful episode concluded with Warwick and Yasenka offering advice to other couples navigating challenging family situations, hoping to help them avoid the difficulties of family court. They both end the episode with a deeply moving message for their children.

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