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Legal Forums » Divorce Law Discussion Forum » Purpose and Development of the Act
Started Dec 06 2012, 03:53
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Dec 06 2012, 03:53
The Family Law Act was enacted in 1975 by the Australian government, led by then Prime Minister Gough Whitlam. One of the main innovations was the introduction of no-fault divorce. Couples no longer needed to show grounds for divorce, but instead, just that their relationship had suffered an irreconcilable breakdown.
Due to the division of power between the Commonwealth and the Australian states under the Australian Constitution, the Act initially could only deal with children born or adopted into a marriage, it was not until later years that the Family Law Act dealt with matters relating to ex-nuptial children. However, the states referred these powers to the Commonwealth and, until the 2006 amendments to the law, were all located under Chapter VII of the Act. For limitations on recognition of de facto couples inside and outside of Australia see Section 51(xxxvii) of the Australian Constitution.
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