De facto relationships
Reference received: 13 July 1981
Report
Report 36: De Facto Relationships [PDF, 1Mb], June 1983
An Outline of the Report was also published [PDF, 63Kb]
Tabled in parliament: 18 August 1983
Legislative action: Crimes (Domestic Violence) Amendment Act 1983; De Facto Relationships Act 1984 (now the Property (Relationships) Act 1984); Adoption of Children (De Facto Relationships) Amendment Act 1984; Compensation to Relatives (De Facto Relationships) Amendment Act 1984; Law Reform (Miscellaneous Provisions) (De Facto Relationships) Amendment Act 1984; Mental Health (De Facto Relationships) Amendment Act 1984; Wills, Probate and Administration (De Facto Relationships) Amendment Act 1984
Judicial citation: Budget Rent-a-Car Systems Pty Ltd v Van Der Kemp [1984] 3 NSWLR 303, 311; In the Marriage of L (1984) 9 FamLR 1033; Baumgartner v Baumgartner (1985) 2 NSWLR 406, 413; A A Tegel Pty Ltd v Madden (1985) 2 NSWLR 591, 600; Austin v Keele (NSW CA, No 74/84, 22 November 1985, unreported), 1 (Kirby P); D v McA (1986) 11 FamLR 214, 227; Roy v Sturgeon (1986) 11 NSWLR 454, 459; George v Hibberson (1987) DFC 95 054; Simonis v Perpetual Trustee CoLtd (1987) 21 NSWLR 677, 685; Weston v Castle (NSW SC, No 4020/88, Waddell CJ in Eq, 23 August 1989, unreported), 13; Daly v Gilbert [1993] NZFLR 513; Wallace v Stanford (1995) 37 NSWLR 1, 8, 11; Theodoropoulos v Theodosiou (1995) 38 NSWLR 424, 433-434, 439; Griffith v Brodigan (1995) 20 FamLR 822; McKee v Truelove (NSW SC, No S 4655/93, 7 July 1995, Master Macready, unreported), 3; Bennett v Monadin (NSW SC, No 116413/94, Bryson J, 31 August 1995, unreported); Inostroza v Dura (NSW SC, No 1455/95, Master Macready, 10 September 1995, unreported), 9; Hamilton v Johnston; Estate of Price (NSW SC, No 4307/94, 5 October 1995, Master Macready, unreported), 3; Dorman v Beddowes (NSW SC, No 1920/91, 22 April 1996, Master Macready, unreported), 3; Brown v McLeod (NSW SC, No 1333/93, Master Macready, 18 October 1996, unreported), 18; Evans v Marmont (1997) 42 NSWLR 70; Fiket v Linco (1998) 23 Fam LR 272; Commonwealth of Australia v Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission [1998] EOC 92 932; Ferris v Winslade (1998) 22 FamLR 725 [24]; Galt v Compagnon (NSW SC No 4668/95, Einstein J, 24 February 1998, unreported), 24 25; McKone v Maretta [1999] NSWSC 438 [15 [50]; Berg v Mullins [1999] NSWSC 451 [16]; Turnley v Swaab [1999] NSWSC 594 [28], [56]; Del Gallo v Frederiksen [1999] NSWSC 737 [13]; Hardcastle v Perkuhn [1999] NSWSC 860 [24]; Weston v Hourn [2000] NSWSC 543 [10]; Jones v Grech (2001) 27 FamLR 711 (NSWCA) [75]; Williamson v Birch [2001] NSWSC 36 [31], [32]; Shcherbakova v Stapleton [2001] NSWSC 213 [83]; Matheson v Wallis (2001) 28 FamLR 290 (NSWSC)[66]; Nguyen v Scheiff(2002) 29 FamLR 177 (NSWSC [55] [62]; Sullman v Sullman [2002] NSWSC 169 [245]; Powell v Supresencia (2003) 30 FamLR 463 (NSWSC [11]; Turnbull v McGregor (2003) 31 FamLR319 (NSWSC) [48]; Findlay v Besley [2004] VConvR 54 688 (VSC) [46]; Whicker v Pettiford [2004] NSWSC 782; Dalli v Dragovic [2004] NSWSC 1033 [82]; Rose v Richards [2004] NSWSC 315 [33]; Giller v Procopets [2004] VSC 113 [76]; Saric v Steward [2005] NSWSC 43; Ye v Fung [2006] NSWSC 243 [45]; Bowden vFoster [2007] NSWSC 29 [11]; Salisbury v Waugh [2007] NSWSC 872 [52]; Giller v Procopets [2008] VSCA 236 [306]; Robson vQuijarro [2009] NSWCCA 365 [16]
Issue paper
Issue Paper 1: De facto relationships, December 1981
A Summary of the Issues Paper was also published
Judicial citation: Seidler v Schallhofer [1982] 2 NSWLR 80, 89 Commonwealth of Australia v Human Rights & Equal Opportunity Commission [1998] EOC 92-932 (FCA)
Journal articles
H Astor and J Nothdurft, "Report of the New South Wales Law Reform Commission on de facto relationships" (1985) 48 Modern Law Review 61
Terms of reference
To inquire into and review the law relating to family and domestic relationships, with particular reference to the rights and obligations of a person living with another person as the husband or wife de facto of that other person, and including the rights and welfare of children of persons in such relationships.
Note: See also Reference 101 - Relationships and the law