Ken McGregor writing in the Courier Mail reports Adelaide firms confirming statistics of increasing “grey divorces” (couples over 55). Academics have suggested that the general acceptability of divorce, and the temptation and ease of online relationships have exacerbated the trend….
Concern over cuts to legal aid in Federal budget
Ursula Malone reports for ABC News: “Justice Diana Bryant said access to legal aid was already a problem in the Family Court, and she was worried about the impact of a further $15 million in Commonwealth funding cuts outlined in…
Kane and the weakening of the “special skills” argument
Loretta Care writing in Mondaq discusses the decision in Kane ([2013] FamCAFC 205) where a party argued that his special contribution applied to an initial $1m+ investment, which increased it to a $3m+ value in 2 years entitled him to…
Conventional wisdom changing on shared care for children under 3
Bettina Arndt writing in the Age reports how recent research has challenged the notion, prevalent particularly in Australia for many years, that children under 3 should not stay overnight with more than one parent. This provides new hope for many…
Dividing assets on separation: home and away
In the article of ‘Dividing assets on separation: home and away”, International Family Law Specialist Carmel Brown gives detailed answers to the questions related to the financial issues dealt in UK and in Australia when couples facing separation. As increasing…
Child bride? No, these secret marriages are child abuse
“Cases like that of the 12-year-old married to an adult male are all too common” A university student walked through the doors of a Sydney Centrelink office to make what he thought was a reasonable request. The 26-year-old, who was…
What happens if my marriage breaks down whilst living in England?
Written by David Hodson, International Family Law Specialist Posted on Australian Times. co.uk, 5 February 2014 Q: My wife and I were married in Sydney fifteen years ago and have been living and working in London since 2005. We both…
“Special contributions” and superannuation; Kane v Kane
The Family Court of Australia has just decided a divorce case which could lead to 50/50 splits of assets, over-ruling the status quo which recognised and rewarded a ‘special contribution’ by one partner. In Kane v Kane the parties contributed…
Estranged spouses use dirty tricks to lower value of a property pool in divorce battles
1 December, 2013 Warring couples bent on revenge are resorting on increasingly “ludicrous” stunts, including claims of ghosts, in bloody-minded campaigns to bring down the value of the marital property pool. In perhaps one of the most bizarre claims this…
Matrimonial Payments or Transfers to Shareholders and Associates – Draft Taxation Ruling TR 2013/D6
Brain Pickup and Marion Fraser, 26 November 2013 BACKGROUND In 2004 the ATO issued Interpretative Decision ATO ID 2004/462. This ATO ID explains that taxation law will prevent a payment by a private company being a deemed dividend where, amongst…