Legislation
Voidable marriages were recognised until the commencement of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth.)
Under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1959(Cth.) (repealed by the FLA) there were four grounds on which a marriage could be voidable. The part of the legislation considering this was section 21(1); it said:
"A marriage that takes place after the commencement of this Act, not being a marriage that is void, is voidable, where, at the time of the marriage: (a) either party to the marriage is incapable of consummating the marriage; (b) either party to the marriage is: (i) of unsound mind; or (ii) a mental defective; (c) either party to the marriage is suffering from a venereal disease in a communicable form; or (d) the wife is pregnant by a person other than the husband, and not otherwise."
Read more about this topic: Voidable Marriages (Australia)
Famous quotes containing the word legislation:
“The laboring man and the trade-unionist, if I understand him, asks only equality before the law. Class legislation and unequal privilege, though expressly in his favor, will in the end work no benefit to him or to society.”
—William Howard Taft (1857–1930)
“Coming out, all the way out, is offered more and more as the political solution to our oppression. The argument goes that, if people could see just how many of us there are, some in very important places, the negative stereotype would vanish overnight. ...It is far more realistic to suppose that, if the tenth of the population that is gay became visible tomorrow, the panic of the majority of people would inspire repressive legislation of a sort that would shock even the pessimists among us.”
—Jane Rule (b. 1931)
“Strictly speaking, one cannot legislate love, but what one can do is legislate fairness and justice. If legislation does not prohibit our living side by side, sooner or later your child will fall on the pavement and I’ll be the one to pick her up. Or one of my children will not be able to get into the house and you’ll have to say, “Stop here until your mom comes here.” Legislation affords us the chance to see if we might love each other.”
—Maya Angelou (b. 1928)