It is a key pillar of family law that parents share in the financial costs of caring for their children. To work out how you will share the financial support of your children you can contact the Child Support Section of the Department of Human Services. http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/dhs/child-support

The assessment which is the amount of child support payable by one parent to another is worked out by the Department of Human Services based upon several key criteria including 

• the number of nights that a child lives with each parent
• the taxable incomes of each of the parents. 

The Department of Human Services will determine a monthly amount of money payable by one parent to the other parent. This monthly amount of money is intended to cover all of the financial needs of the child including their food, housing and any school fees. The monthly amount of money can be paid to the other parent through the Department of Human Services directly or the parents can agree on a “private collection” arrangement where one parent pays the monthly money directly to the other parent’s bank account.

Many people believe that you are only in a de facto relationship once you have lived with your partner together in the same house for 2 years or more. According to the legal requirements in the Family Law Act it is possible to be in a de facto relationship even though you are not living in the same house and you have been together for less than 2 years.

Determining whether you are in a de facto relationship or not will have consequences on your finances such as property settlement and/or maintenance when applicable in the event your relationship breaks down. If you are not in a de facto relationship then you have no financial obligations following the breakdown of your relationship.

The Family Law Act includes a non-exhaustive list of 9 factors in that a court will review to determine whether two people are in a de facto relationship. 

• the care and support of children;
• how long the relationship has been going on for;
• whether the people live in the one house;
• whether there is a sexual relationship between the two people;
• the degree of financial dependence or inter-dependence between the two people (i.e. is one of the people paying for expenses of the other person);
• the ownership and use of property (ie, do they own a house together?)
• the “degree of mutual commitment to a shared life”;
• whether the relationship was registered under a State or Territory law; and
• the reputation and public aspects of the relationship (i.e. do you spend Christmas and birthdays together?)

 You can also be in a de facto relationship with more than one person at one time. The Family Law Act clearly states that you can be legally married to someone else and in a de facto relationship with another person (or persons). The gender of the people involved in the de facto relationship is irrelevant.