Ben and Heather have their eighth session answering questions from the Coffs Coast community - and there were some good ones this time. Here are the topics covered:

1. Can I get divorced in Australia if I married in another country?
2. When does a de facto relationship (same-sex or heterosexual) begin from a legal perspective?
3. Does the Family Court ever award costs to one partner if the other is being unreasonable?
4. How will an expected inheritance be treated in the property settlement?
5. Can my ex-partner prevent me from finding a good family lawyer by lawyer-shopping?
6. Can I get financing for a family law court case?
7. What happens when you can't agree on schooling for the kids?
8. How can you prevent your ex from showing up at the family home unannounced?

Episode note (important): This episode includes discussion of parenting arrangements and property matters in response to listener questions. Parenting issues are discussed at a time when recent changes to family law provisions (commencing on 6 May 2024) were still being implemented and interpreted, so some legal references in these parts of the episode may now be out of date or incomplete. Property matters are discussed before changes to property settlement provisions commenced on 10 June 2025, so some legal references in those parts of the episode may now be out of date. Please seek current legal advice and refer to the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and Attorney-General’s Department resources for the latest information.