Family law information
Articles on separating in Western Australia: dividing property, spousal maintenance, agreements and what happens in the Family Court.
21 articles
Can I stop my ex-spouse from seeing our children?
When a parent can limit or stop the other parent's time with the children in WA, and the safer arrangements a court can order instead.
Updated 27 October 2026
De facto property claims in WA: the two-year rule, the WA connection and leave out of time
Who can bring a de facto property claim in the Family Court of WA, the deadline, and what the court needs to let a late claim go ahead.
Updated 27 October 2026
Financial agreements for WA de facto couples: the rules that differ from the rest of Australia
A WA de facto financial agreement is made under State law with stricter formalities. What s 205ZS requires, and why a standard template can fail.
Updated 27 October 2026
Form 13 financial statements and disclosure in the Family Court of WA
What the Family Court of WA rules require you to disclose in a property case, when, and what happens if you get it wrong.
Updated 27 October 2026
How a property case runs in the Family Court of WA, step by step
The court events in a contested Perth property case, from the letters before filing to the trial, and where most cases settle on the way.
Updated 27 October 2026
How are property settlements resolved?
How property is divided after separation in Western Australia, the steps the court follows, and three common misconceptions about the outcome.
Updated 27 October 2026
How can family violence affect property orders?
How family violence can change a property settlement in Western Australia, and why the answer differs for married and de facto couples.
Updated 27 October 2026
How child support is calculated and paid
How Services Australia works out child support, the 2026 figures, and the ways child support can be paid and collected after separation.
Updated 27 October 2026
How does a judge determine visitation rights?
How the Family Court of WA decides the time a child spends with each parent after separation, at an interim hearing and at a final hearing.
Updated 27 October 2026
How spousal support is calculated
How spousal maintenance is assessed in WA: the threshold, the factors the court weighs, the time limits, and the difference for de facto couples.
Updated 27 October 2026
Married or de facto in WA: why the June 2025 property changes apply to only one of you
The 10 June 2025 property reforms apply to married couples in WA but not to WA de facto couples. What differs, including family violence.
Updated 27 October 2026
Reasons why you could apply for costs in family law proceedings
When the Family Court of WA may order one party to pay the other's legal costs, the rules that changed in June 2025, and when to apply.
Updated 27 October 2026
Recovery orders for children
What a recovery order is, who can apply for one in WA, what the Family Court of WA considers, and what it cannot do if a child is overseas.
Updated 27 October 2026
Splitting super for WA de facto couples: how it works since 28 September 2022
WA de facto couples can split superannuation under federal law. The tests, the time limit and the steps with the fund in the Family Court of WA.
Updated 27 October 2026
The difference between sole and joint parental responsibility
How decisions about a child's schooling, health and other major issues are shared or allocated after separation, under the law since 2024.
Updated 27 October 2026
The time limits that apply to property settlements
When the deadline for a property claim starts in WA, what it requires you to do, and how a late claim can still be made.
Updated 27 October 2026
Urgent and interim spousal maintenance in the Family Court of WA
If you cannot meet your living costs while a Perth property case runs, the court can order support now. The tests and the steps, married or de facto.
Updated 27 October 2026
What a Perth family lawyer does in a property settlement, and what trial costs against settling
The work a family lawyer does at each stage of a WA property settlement, the court fees, who pays costs, and why most cases settle.
Updated 27 October 2026
What are the different types of child support arrangements?
The difference between a child support assessment, a limited agreement and a binding agreement, and what each one means for separated parents.
Updated 27 October 2026
What to do if your child has been abducted and taken overseas
The steps to take if a child is at risk of being taken from Australia, or has already been taken overseas, for parents in Western Australia.
Updated 27 October 2026
Why family orders must be followed, and the consequences if you do not
What counts as breaching a parenting order in WA, what a reasonable excuse is, and what the Family Court of WA can do about it.
Updated 27 October 2026