Smooth and simple separations are the exception rather than the norm, for fairly straightforward reasons. Parties to a marriage or de facto relationship may become fearful that the other party may take money out of a joint bank account for their own purposes.
The Family Law Act provides that a separated couple must provide each other with all of their financial information, known as ‘financial disclosure’.
There are several recent decisions by the Family Court where parents who have admitted regular drug use have been allowed to continue caring for their children, and other instances where they have not.