Separating couples face a baffling legal system and frustrating delays - four years after the federal magistrates court was set up to help simplify the process, according to a damning audit office report.

It found patchy service and poor co-ordination between the two courts that handle divorce. But the confusion, with some clients unsure whether their case would proceed in the Family Court or the Federal Magistrates Court, might be alleviated with a single entry point for separating coples, the report by the Australian National Audit Office noted.

A similar proposal making Medicare or Centrelink offices the first stop in any divorce process has been put forward by a parliamentary committee as part of a radical overhaul of family law.