You’ve told us you and your spouse don’t agree on the divorce application or financial arrangements. If spouses don’t file a joint divorce application or don’t agree on the division of property, it is important to know that a long, expensive, and drawn-out court process can follow — in some cases costing tens of thousands of dollars or more. It can also lead to uncertainty, emotional stress, and delays. Each spouse plays a part in working towards a fair and amicable resolution of post-separation arrangements. 

The emotional toll and stress that can be caused by contested proceedings is also something to consider.  As a general rule of thumb, the cost, time and potential stress of court proceedings can be minimised where spouses consent to divorce applications and agree between themselves financial arrangements - further information on a divorce application by consent can be found here.  That said, there may be individual circumstances where consent proceedings are not possible or appropriate, for example where there is violence or you can’t locate your spouse.  

Getting the right information early helps you make decisions that protect your interests, reduce legal costs and stress, and work towards a just and equitable outcome.

Divorce Process (When you are applying without your spouse’s consent)

If you are filing for divorce without your spouse’s consent you file what’s known as a sole application with the Commonwealth Law Portal.  You will receive back a sealed application — that’s the application stamped by the court.  

Service

The sealed application needs to be ‘served’ on your spouse, meaning you need to make sure they are properly notified. There are strict legal rules on how to serve it that you’ll need to consider in more detail.  For instance, you can’t serve it yourself but rather someone over 18 must serve it like a friend, family member, or a professional process server.

Timing: If your spouse is in Australia: you must serve them at least 28 days before the court hearing.  If they are overseas: you must serve them at least 42 days before the court hearing.

Cost: Filing a sole application currently costs around $1,060 (check for updates; reduced fees may apply in hardship cases).  However, if your spouse is uncooperative or difficult to locate, costs can increase because you might need legal help or a process server.

What if You Can’t Serve Them?
If you have made genuine efforts but cannot serve your spouse, you can apply to the court for:

• Substituted service — permission to serve by another method (such as email, social media, or through a family member).

• Dispensation of service — permission to skip service altogether.

The court will hold a hearing (which you may need to attend) to decide whether to allow this. If the court agrees that you don’t need to serve your spouse, they may even move ahead and decide your application at the same time. If the court orders you to try another method of service, you must comply before they will hear the case.

Spouse’s Opportunity to Respond
Once served, your spouse can file a Response to Divorce if they disagree with any facts in your application (for example, the separation date).  This does not necessarily stop the divorce but may lead to a court hearing where both sides explain their positions.

Court Decision
The court will schedule a hearing (you may or may not need to attend) to decide whether the legal requirements for divorce are met. These include:

• That there has been an irretrievable breakdown of the marriage.

• That there is no reasonable chance of reconciliation.

Remember you do not need to prove fault - you simply need to meet the legal and administrative conditions. If approved, the divorce becomes final one month and one day after the court order.  It is important to know that it is illegal to remarry before the divorce is finalised.

Other Requirements

There are a number of other requirements that apply to divorce applications, such as making sure at least one party is either an Australian citizen, ordinarily resident in Australia, or a permanent resident, and that you have been separated for at least 12 months.

If you have been married for less than 2 years, you will need to attend counselling together and provide a counselling certificate as part of your divorce application.  If counselling is not possible (for example, because your spouse refuses or you cannot locate them), you may apply to the court for an exemption by filing an affidavit explaining why you can’t go to counselling. An affidavit is a statement where you sign a version of events and swear they are true.

If you have been separated but continued living together during the separation period, you will need to provide affidavits explaining how you were meaningfully separated despite sharing a home (for example, separate bedrooms, no shared meals or finances, changed social arrangements).

The divorce application itself doesn’t deal with property matters, which should be handled in a separate agreement.  This is something that might seem counterintuitive and so might catch people offguard.

Property arrangements (with consent) 

Settling property arrangements with consent, where appropriate and possible to do so, can help make the process more straightforward and less costly. It is important to get informed about your rights and options so that you make sure any settlement reached is a fair outcome for both parties. 

Types of Property Arrangements

Property arrangements can be informal (not legally binding) or formal (legally binding). Having no formal agreement can create uncertainty and instability around your financial arrangements, so caution is advised.  Understanding the risks that come with this is important so you can consider the value of entering into a formal arrangement. While formal arrangements do take more time and can be more costly in the short term, they can also give you certainty and help ensure you make decisions in your best interest. They can also help protect your financial interests in the longer term, so it’s worth exploring your options.

Binding Property & Spousal Support Arrangements

A formal arrangement can cover property, financial resources, and spousal maintenance, and can take either of the following forms:

• A binding financial agreement (BFA) — a private, legally enforceable contract that is not filed with the court.

• An application for consent orders — a formal court order, legally binding and enforceable, which gives the most certainty and security.

Having a formal, legally binding agreement about property arrangements can give you the certainty you need while saving you a lot of money and time in contested court hearings. However, you should make sure you are comfortable with the financial agreement that is reached. This starts with getting the right information to help you make an empowered decision.

There are some common myths about how property is divided after separation.  Some people believe that assets are always split 50/50.  This isn’t necessarily the case - the law doesn’t offer hard and fast rules about what assets each person gets.  At a high level, the division of property must be just and equitable, and the law uses a process that involves identifying all assets, assessing the contributions of each party (at the start, during, and after separation), and making adjustments for future needs.  It is good to understand this process so you can consider the best path forward for you. 

Full & Frank Disclosure

Each person must provide full and frank disclosure of their assets (that’s a legal way of saying they have to show all the assets they hold, even if their spouse isn’t aware of them). This includes all liabilities and assets such as property, cash, superannuation, vehicles, shares, businesses, trusts, significant personal property (like jewellery, art, etc.), and other financial resources. Failure to disclose can lead to a BFA or court order being set aside later. Spousal maintenance is considered separately from the property division and is based on one person’s need and the other’s ability to pay.

Important Timelines: if you want to apply for court orders for property arrangements, you need to file these within 12 months from the date of divorce.

Filing a divorce application without closing out property arrangements can carry risk.  There are compelling reasons for finalising property arrangements before your divorce application. These might include:

• Better negotiating leverage while all matters are still on the table

• Avoiding the risk of your spouse hiding or selling assets after the divorce (which may be harder to recover later)

No parenting arrangements apply

Based on the information you shared, this is not relevant for you. Parenting arrangements apply where there are children under 18 years of the marriage. Some people don’t know that in some cases, step-parents can apply to the court for parenting orders if they’ve played a parental role and it’s in the child’s best interests.

Important to Know

Unlike property matters, you can’t make a privately binding agreement for parenting without court involvement. If you want certainty, enforceability, and a clear path forward in case of future disagreement, consent orders are a good option where there is agreement between the parents and circumstances permit.