Family Law for Separation, Parenting and Property
Terra Australis Legal assists clients with family law issues arising from separation, divorce, parenting arrangements and property settlement — with as little time in court as the matter allows.
Australian property settlements are not divided 50/50 by default. Since 10 June 2025 the Family Law Act sets out the process in statute: identify the parties’ interests, assess contributions, consider current and future circumstances — including the economic effect of family violence — and ask whether the outcome is just and equitable.
Two questions: the children, and the money.
Almost every separation reduces to those two questions, and they are resolved on different tests. Parenting is decided on what is in the best interests of the children. Property is a four-step exercise: identify the pool, assess contributions, assess future needs, and ask whether the result is just and equitable. It is not a 50/50 split by default.
Most matters can be settled by negotiation, family dispute resolution or consent orders — which is faster, cheaper and considerably less corrosive than litigation. Where the other side will not engage, or where there are safety concerns, we file and run the application.
Detailed guides on the questions we are asked most.
Straight answers to what we are asked most.
Talk to a lawyer, not a call centre.
Tell us what has happened and we will tell you plainly where you stand, what it is likely to cost, and what the next step is.