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FAMILY LAW ACT 1975 - SECT 86

Registered maintenance agreements

  (1)   A maintenance agreement other than an agreement to which section   87 applies may be registered, as prescribed by the applicable Rules of Court, in any court having jurisdiction under this Act.

  (1A)   A maintenance agreement made after the commencement of this subsection cannot be registered.

  (2)   Section   66S applies in relation to the variation of a maintenance agreement registered under subsection   (1), in so far as the agreement makes provision for the maintenance of a child of the relevant marriage, as if the agreement were an order made by consent under Part   VII by the court in which the agreement is registered.

  (2A)   Section   83 applies in relation to the variation of a maintenance agreement registered under subsection   (1), in so far as the agreement makes provision for the maintenance of a party to the relevant marriage, as if the agreement were an order made by consent under this Act by the court in which the agreement is registered.

  (3)   The court in which a maintenance agreement is registered under subsection   (1) may set aside the agreement if, and only if, the court is satisfied that the concurrence of a party was obtained by fraud or undue influence or that the parties desire the agreement to be set aside.

  (3A)   Where a maintenance agreement has been registered under subsection   (1), then:

  (a)   unless the agreement otherwise provides, the agreement (other than a provision in the agreement providing for the payment by way of maintenance of a periodic sum) continues to operate notwithstanding the death of a party to the agreement and operates in favour of, and is binding on, the legal personal representative of that party; and

  (b)   if the agreement so provides, a provision in the agreement providing for the payment to a person by way of maintenance of a periodic sum continues to operate notwithstanding the death of any party to the agreement who is liable to make payments pursuant to that provision and is binding on the legal personal representative of that party but, notwithstanding any provision in the agreement, does not continue to operate after the death of the person who is entitled to receive those payments.

  (3B)   Where:

  (a)   a maintenance agreement is, at any time, registered under subsection   (1); and

  (b)   the maintenance agreement makes provision for the maintenance of a child; and

  (c)   an application could properly be made, at that time, under the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 by one of the parties to the agreement for the other party to the agreement to be assessed in respect of the costs of the child (whether or not such an application has in fact been made by the party or by another person);

the maintenance agreement, so far as it makes provision for the maintenance of the child, has no effect and is not enforceable in any way.

  (4)   Subject to section   89, this section does not apply to overseas maintenance agreements.


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