Defacto relationships

​Reference received: 13 July 1981

​Report

Report 36: De Facto Relationships (PDF, 1.3 MB) [PDF, 1Mb], June 1983

An Outline of the Report was also published (PDF, 63.9 KB) [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 rela​tionships" (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