Table of Contents
INTERIM SPOUSAL MAINTENANCE
The law – concepts and principles
Section 74(1) of the Family Law Act empowers the Court to “make such order as it considers proper for the provision of maintenance” in accordance with Pt VIII of the Act.
That primary requirement is set out in s 72(1) of the Act, as follows:
(1) A party to a marriage is liable to maintain the other party, to the extent that the first-mentioned party is reasonably able to do so, if, and only if, that other party is unable to support herself or himself adequately whether:
(a) by reason of having the care and control of a child of the marriage who has not attained the age of 18 years;
(b) by reason of age or physical or mental incapacity for appropriate gainful employment; or
(c) for any other adequate reason;
having regard to any relevant matter referred to in subsection 75(2).
The relevant considerations are set out in s 75(2) of the Act as follows:
(a) the age and state of health of each of the parties; and
(b) the income, property, and financial resources of each of the parties and the physical and mental capacity of each of them for appropriate gainful employment; and
(c) whether either party has the care or control of a child of the marriage who has not attained the age of 18 years; and
(d) commitments of each of the parties that are necessary to enable the party to support:
(i) himself or herself; and
(ii) a child or another person that the party has a duty to maintain; and
(e) the responsibilities of either party to support any other person; and
(f) subject to subsection (3), the eligibility of either party for a pension, allowance or benefit under:
(i) any law of the Commonwealth, of a State or Territory or of another country; or
(ii) any superannuation fund or scheme, whether the fund or scheme was established, or operates, within or outside Australia;
and the rate of any such pension, allowance or benefit being paid to either party; and
(g) where the parties have separated or divorced, a standard of living that in all the circumstances is reasonable; and
(h) the extent to which the payment of maintenance to the party whose maintenance is under consideration would increase the earning capacity of that party by enabling that party to undertake a course of education or training or to establish himself or herself in a business or otherwise to obtain an adequate income; and
(ha) the effect of any proposed order on the ability of a creditor of a party to recover the creditor’s debt, so far as that effect is relevant; and
(j) the extent to which the party whose maintenance is under consideration has contributed to the income, earning capacity, property and financial resources of the other party; and
(k) the duration of the marriage and the extent to which it has affected the earning capacity of the party whose maintenance is under consideration; and
(l) the need to protect a party who wishes to continue that party’s role as a parent; and
(m) if either party is cohabiting with another person—the financial circumstances relating to the cohabitation; and
(n) the terms of any order made or proposed to be made under section 79 in relation to:
(i) the property of the parties; or
(ii) vested bankruptcy property in relation to a bankrupt party; and
(naa) the terms of any order or declaration made, or proposed to be made, under Part VIIIAB in relation to:
(i) a party to the marriage; or
(ii) a person who is a party to a de facto relationship with a party to the marriage; or
(iii) the property of a person covered by subparagraph (i) and of a person covered by subparagraph (ii), or of either of them; or
(iv) vested bankruptcy property in relation to a person covered by subparagraph (i) or (ii); and
(na) any child support under the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 that a party to the marriage has provided, is to provide, or might be liable to provide in the future, for a child of the marriage; and
(o) any fact or circumstance which, in the opinion of the court, the justice of the case requires to be taken into account; and
(p) the terms of any financial agreement that is binding on the parties to the marriage; and
(q) the terms of any Part VIIIAB financial agreement that is binding on a party to the marriage.
The High Court has set out the appropriate approach in considering an application for interim spousal maintenance, as follows:
The gateway to the operation of Pt VIII in relation to spousal maintenance is in s 72(1). That sub-section provides that “a party to a marriage is liable to maintain the other party, to the extent that the first-mentioned party is reasonably able to do so, if, and only if, that other party is unable to support herself or himself adequately having regard to any relevant matter referred to in [s] 75(2)”.
The liability of a party to a marriage to maintain the other party that is imposed by s 72(1) is crystallised by the making of an order under s 74(1). That sub-section provides that, “In proceedings with respect to the maintenance of a party to a marriage, the court may make such order as it considers proper for the provision of maintenance in accordance with this Part”.
A court exercising the power conferred by s 74(1) is obliged by s 75(1) to take into account the matters referred to in s 75(2) and only those matters. Those matters are presented as a comprehensive checklist. They include what s 75(2)(b) refers to as “the income, property and financial resources of each of the parties and the physical and mental capacity of each of them for appropriate gainful employment”. They also include, by virtue of s 75(2)(o), “any fact or circumstance which, in the opinion of the court, the justice of the case requires to be taken into account”.
Unlike a court exercising the power to make an urgent order conferred by s 77, a court exercising the power to make an interim order under s 74(1) must be satisfied of the threshold requirement in s 72(1) and must have regard to any matter referred to in s 75(2) that is relevant. No doubt, on an application for an interim order “the evidence need not be so extensive and the findings not so precise” as on an application for a final order. But there is nothing to displace the applicability to an exercise of the power conferred by s 74(1) of the ordinary standard of proof in a civil proceeding now set out in s 140 of the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth). A court determining an application for an interim order under s 74(1) cannot make such an order without finding, on the balance of probabilities on the evidence before it, that the threshold requirement in s 72(1) is met having regard to any relevant matter referred to in s 75(2).
The High Court confirmed that an applicant seeking orders for spousal maintenance carries the evidentiary burden as set out in s 140 of the Evidence Act. This can be particularly challenging in the context of an application for interim spousal maintenance.
Disputed issues of fact cannot be resolved at an interim hearing.
On an application for an interim order, the evidence need not be so extensive and the findings not so precise as on an application for a final order. But there is nothing to displace the applicability to an exercise of the power conferred by s 74(1) of the ordinary standard of proof in a civil proceeding now set out in s 140 of the Evidence Act 1995 (Cth).
In determining the “capacity” of a party to satisfy an order for interim spousal maintenance, the Court is not confined to considering only that party’s income, but rather:
Once a party establishes an entitlement to interim spousal maintenance, and such entitlement is quantified in accordance with that spouse’s reasonable needs, an order may be made notwithstanding that the liable spouse could only satisfy the order out of capital or borrowings against capital assets.
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