The backdrop and basis for my acceptance to be interviewed for the ABC Background Briefing program was that I believed that there was a genuine public interest story to be heard in relation to the dilemmas faced by the Family Court. I was asked by the reporter to be interviewed about my role as a single expert for the court. I was pursued for several weeks by the reporter of this program who declared a strong interest in the story behind the comments by Justice Collier, a former highly respected Family Court judge, who on retiring expressed his concern that there was an alarming increase in false allegations in the Family Court.
I accepted the radio interview as there is a conundrum facing the Court and I believed that there was a valid story to be told. I believed that I was being approached to talk about the complexity of the Family Court. The reported interview, unknown to me, was not a conversation about the dilemmas facing the Family Court but rather an attack on my personal role. Accordingly I was surprised and caught unaware about the intention of this radio program. It was only on listening to the program that I became aware that the purpose in fact was to cast aspersions against me and the Family Court.
Dr Christopher Rikard-Bell 13 May 2016
| Said by | Dr Christopher Rikard-Bell | |
| Topic | Ms Jess Hill | |
| 14 Jun 2015 | Topic | ABC Radio Background Briefing - In the child's best interests |
| 13 May 2016 | Source | Dr Christopher Rikard-Bell parliamentary submission to repudiate criticism |