what is a defacto relationship

A de facto relationship is a relationship between two people, whether of the same sex or different sexes, who live together as a couple but who arent married or in a civil union. In Australia, a de facto relationship is legally recognized as a committed relationship of a couple living together, and is defined in the federal Family Law Act 1975. To be legally recognized, both people must be of a certain age, and this age can vary depending on the particular area of law. A de facto relationship provides couples who are living together on a genuine domestic basis with many of the same rights and benefits as married couples, including entitlement to apply for a Parenting Order for the child. However, the relationship is not a de facto relationship if the couple is legally married to one another or if they are related by family. There are four “gateway” criteria that are used to assess whether a claim for property settlement or maintenance can be made in respect of the de facto relationship when it comes to Family Law matters. For some legal purposes, if the relationship is not registered, a formal declaration from a court is required before the relationship can be recognized.