In the minds of many, spousal maintenance in Australia is about providing one separating spouse with sufficient resources to take care of their essential needs.

That is – once your essential requirements are taken care of, the Court won’t do anything to order your ex to provide spousal maintenance.

But is that really the case?

Let’s explore.

The Main Question to Ask

As we set out in our longer article on spousal maintenance here, the Court considers several factors in determining whether