Understanding the Family Law Amendment Bill Wondering what the passing of the Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 means for your parenting case?  We explain the impact of the family law  amendments for your family law matter  What is the Family Law Amendment Bill? The Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 is a new law passed by the Australian Government that brings changes to how separated parents handle parenting cases. This post will explain the key changes brought about by this bill and how they might affect your family law case. The Family Law Amendment Bill 2023 changes three main ..read more

One Sided Divorce – How to Get Divorced Without Co-operation From Your Ex Want to get a divorce but your ex is making it difficult? Whether they are simply refusing or you can’t locate them, it is still possible to apply for divorce on your own. When are sole applications for divorce necessary? Usually, married couples apply for divorce together. But that isn’t always possible. There are two main reasons why you’d need to apply on your own. Your ex doesn’t want to get a divorce. You cannot locate your ex. Mutual Divorce vs One Sided Divorce Mutual Divorce The process for mutual divorc ..read more

Reasons for Divorce in Australia - The Legal Terminology You Need to Know Getting divorced can be rough – and it’s not uncommon to feel like you’ve failed somehow. But the reality is that around 33% of Australian marriages end in divorce. Over the last decade, the median duration of time between “I do” and finalised divorce was around 12 years. Sad statistics aside, marriage is hard, and sometimes divorce is the best way forward. An individual’s reasons for divorce are personal and varied. If you’re going through it, it’s best to arm yourself with knowledge. What are the most common reason ..read more

Divorce and Control - Taking the First Step When Your STBX Says You Can't Breaking free from a controlling relationship is an absolute minefield. Years of being controlled by another person, from subtle comments to explicit rules about what you can and can’t do, can leave a person feeling confused and afraid about managing life on their own. And the scary part is that ending up in a controlling relationship can happen to anyone. The case of Britney We all remember the #freebritney movement. The world was shocked to learn that a hugely successful and famous singer with millions of dollar ..read more

How to Prove Coercive Control in Court – When the Law’s Not Quite Caught Up Coercive control can be experienced by anyone and manifests in a variety of ways. Often subtle, this kind of patterned abuse can be difficult to identify – and for this reason, the controlling behaviours associated with coercive control weren’t always recognised as a form of domestic violence.  Today coercive control is more widely understood and there is a push for Australian laws to reflect the seriousness of this form of intimate partner abuse. Unfortunately, Queensland has been slow to amend their laws. T ..read more

Do I Need a Binding Child Support Agreement? If your custody arrangements involve you caring for your children more than 35% of the time, it’s important that you have adequate financial support. A Binding Child Support Agreement (BSCA) can be negotiated with your ex and offers a secure option. What is a binding child support agreement? Child support is covered by the Child Support (Assessment) Act. A BCSA is an agreement that is written and signed by both parents to a child that states the parameters for child support payments. It concerns: the amounts to be paid the frequency of which ..read more

Keeping the Family Home: How to Calculate Buying Someone Out of a House The family home – it is the place you have lived, loved, created memories, and raised your children. Beyond that, it also represents stability, certainty, and security. Besides a massive change to a significant relationship, some of the most difficult challenges of divorce are the feeling that everything is changing all at once. It is also common to have concerns about the instability your children may experience. Keeping the family home can help provide a safe base from which to launch into the next stage of your liv ..read more

What if my ex wants more custody just to reduce child support? When a marriage breaks down, making custody arrangements that prioritise the best interests of the child should be the goal of both parents. However, when people are locked in conflict and become more interested in ‘winning’ or point scoring, things can get ugly, fast. Having to pay money to an ex-partner to assist with the financial cost of raising a child can be a real bone of contention for some people, and they’ll do whatever they can to pay less child support. Since child support payments are calculated depending on how m ..read more

Divorce Recovery: The Triggers You’re Experiencing Won’t Last Forever Divorce is a difficult and traumatic life event. In fact, it’s recognised as one of the most stressful you can go through. It’s not uncommon to be overwhelmed with big feelings. Maybe it’s sadness. Maybe anger. Sometimes it’s every feeling all at once – and it’s hard to predict what will trigger you. You’re having coffee in a café when a sudden wave of emotion leaves you frantically searching for a tissue in your handbag before people notice you’re crying. What set you off? A waiter walking past with smashed avo, the br ..read more

Divorce Papers Checklist – What are the Documents You Need to Know About? Decided to get a divorce but don’t know where to start?   Divorce is the legal ending of your marriage. And like a lot of legal issues, there are documents and paperwork that you need to prepare. So, what goes into filing for divorce?  What is the difference between divorce and property settlement? Getting a divorce order only covers the legal ending of the marriage. This means that property settlements, finances, spousal maintenance, and custody arrangements are all separate issues. It is highly re ..read more