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?

While the overall divorce rate in Australia is declining, there is an upward trend in divorce in couples over 50. Ben and Heather talk about this phenomenon on this podcast and some of the unique complications that arise when calling quits on a long term relationship.

Topics covered include:

1. Why the divorce rate is rising for older Australians.
2. Dividing assets at the end of a long term relationship, including
3. How the Court deals with health discrepancies.
4. Advice for women to ensure their retirement needs are met.
5. Child support for adult children.
6. The value (or otherwise) of a pre-nuptial agreement when re-partnering.

Ben and Heather welcome special guest forensic psychologist Dr Robert Simon from San Diego California to talk about resist/refuse behaviour in children, including the heated subject of parental alienation. Dr Simon is a specialist in child custody matters in the United States and is renowned for his expertise in parent/child contact problems. He provides an excellent overview of the most common reasons for resist/refuse behaviour, and makes it clear that parental alienation is not the most common cause.

Topics discussed include:

1. The difference between a clinical and forensic psychologist.
2. The three main reasons for parent/child contact problems:
3. The impact of wrongfully identifying the nature of parent/child contact problems.
4. The Australian Family Law Court's approach to parent/child contact problems.