HER former husband thought she was perfectly capable of supporting herself as a legal secretary or personal assistant after their marriage broke down. But having emerged from the ”long, expensive and fraught litigation” that followed their separation, the woman wanted nothing more to do with lawyers or the law – and the Family Court has ordered her former husband pay her $1000 a week while she retrains for another career.
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She was married to a man worth more than $260 million, lived a luxurious life and wanted for nothing – but it all came to an end when they split. Now she is seeking a $35 million settlement, arguing she is entitled to maintain and enjoy the lifestyle to which she became accustomed during the marriage. ..

Changes to the law relating to binding financial agreements (BFA) between spouses and de-facto parties have been made to make them easier to enter into and more binding. The reforms will operate retrospectively, so it will affect those people who have already entered into a BFA. ..

Mr B said he was accused in court of being “a bad husband, a bad father” and he believes that were it not for the Howard government’s shared parenting laws, which require the Family Court to presume that a child’s best interests are served by having a “meaningful” relationship with both parents after separation, he would not have been given any responsibility for his son, let alone equal time…

LIBERAL Party frontbencher Tony Abbott wants laws toughened up to make divorce harder. ..