Commonwealth Consolidated Acts Commonwealth Consolidated Acts(1) Subject to this section, a maintenance agreement may make provision to the effect that the agreement shall operate, in relation to the financial matters dealt within the agreement, in substitution for any rights of the parties to the agreement under this Part.
(1A) Subsection (1) does not apply to a maintenance agreement made after the commencement of this subsection.
(2) Where a maintenance agreement makes provision as mentioned in subsection (1), the maintenance agreement has no effect, and is not enforceable in any way, unless it has been approved by the court.
(3) In proceedings for the approval of a maintenance agreement, if the court is satisfied that the provisions of the agreement with respect to financial matters are proper, the court shall, by order, approve the agreement, but if the court is not so satisfied, it shall, by order, refuse to approve the agreement.
(4) Where a maintenance agreement that makes provision as mentioned in subsection (1) is approved by the court:
(a) any order having effect under this Part or any order made under Part VIII of the repealed Act and continued in effect by virtue of paragraph 3(2)(c) ceases to have effect in so far as it relates to the financial matters dealt with in the agreement and, whether or not the approval of the agreement is revoked, has no further effect; and
(b) subject to subsections (4A) to (4C) (inclusive), no court having jurisdiction under this Act may make an order (other than an order under this section or an order in connection with the enforcement of the agreement) with respect to those financial matters unless the approval of the agreement is revoked.
(4A) The approval, after the commencement of this subsection, of a maintenance agreement under this section does not exclude or limit the power of a court having jurisdiction under this Act to make an order in relation to the maintenance of a party to the relevant marriage if the court is satisfied that, at the time the agreement was approved, the circumstances of the party were such that, taking into account the terms and effect of the agreement, the party would have been unable to support himself or herself without an income tested pension, allowance or benefit.
(4B) Where subsection (4A) applies in relation to an approved maintenance agreement, section 83 applies in relation to the variation of the agreement, in so far as the agreement makes provision for the maintenance of a party to the marriage, as if the agreement were an order made by consent under this Act by a court in which the agreement is registered or deemed to be registered.
(4C) The approval, whether before or after the commencement of this subsection, of a maintenance agreement under this section does not exclude or limit the power of a court having jurisdiction under Part VII to make any order under that Part in relation to a child of the relevant marriage and, where the agreement makes provision for the maintenance of a child of the marriage, section 66S applies in relation to the variation of the agreement, in so far as it makes that provision, as if the agreement were an order made by consent under that Part by a court in which the agreement is registered or deemed to be registered.
(4D) Where:
(a) a maintenance agreement that makes provision as mentioned in subsection (1) is, at any time, approved by the court; 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.
(5) Notwithstanding any rule of law or equity, an approved maintenance agreement shall not be taken to be void, voidable or unenforceable by reason that it makes provision as mentioned in subsection (1).
(6) Where a court has approved a maintenance agreement, the agreement shall be deemed to be registered in that court.
(7) An agreement that is by virtue of subsection (6) deemed to be registered in a court may be registered, as prescribed by the applicable Rules of Court, in another court having jurisdiction under this Act.
(8) A court may, by order, revoke the approval of a maintenance agreement under this section if, and only if, the agreement is registered or deemed to be registered in that court and the court is satisfied that:
(a) the approval was obtained by fraud;
(b) the parties to the agreement desire the revocation of the approval;
(c) the agreement is void, voidable or unenforceable; or
(d) in the circumstances that have arisen since the agreement was approved it is impracticable for the agreement to be carried out or impracticable for a part of the agreement to be carried out.
(9) Where the approval of a maintenance agreement under this section is revoked by a court:
(a) the agreement ceases, for all purposes, to be in force; and
(b) the court may, in proceedings for the revocation of the approval or on application by a party to the agreement or any other interested person, make such order or orders (including an order for the transfer of property) as it considers just and equitable for the purpose of preserving or adjusting the rights of the parties to the agreement and any other interested persons;
and, in exercising its powers under paragraph (b), the court shall have regard to the ground on which it revoked the approval of the agreement.
(10) Where a maintenance agreement has been approved by a court as provided by this section, 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.
(11) Apart from the provision made by subsections (2), (4A), (4C), (5), (9) and (10), the validity, enforceability and effect of an approved maintenance agreement shall be determined by the court according to the principles of law and equity that are applicable in determining the validity, enforceability and effect of contracts and purported contracts, and, in proceedings of the kind referred to in subparagraph (ea)(iii) of the definition of matrimonial cause in subsection 4(1), being proceedings instituted in a court in which the approved maintenance agreement is registered or deemed to be registered, the court:
(a) subject to paragraph (b), has the same powers, may grant the same remedies and shall have the same regard to the rights of third parties as the High Court has, may grant and is required to have in proceedings in connection with contracts or purported contracts, being proceedings in which the High Court has original jurisdiction;
(b) has power to make an order for the payment, by a party to the agreement to another party to the agreement, of interest on an amount payable pursuant to the agreement, from the time when the amount became or becomes due and payable, at a rate not exceeding the rate prescribed by the Rules of the Court; and
(c) in addition to, or instead of, making an order or orders pursuant to paragraph (a) or (b), may order that the agreement, or a specified part of the agreement, be enforced as if it were an order of the court.
(12) Where the approval of a maintenance agreement under this section has been revoked, a court shall, in considering whether, and if so, how, to exercise any powers under this Part, have regard to:
(a) anything done or omitted to be done by a party to the agreement pursuant to the agreement;
(b) any change in the circumstances of a party to the agreement arising out of the doing of any act by a person, or the failure of a person to do an act, pursuant to the agreement;
(c) any order made by that court or another court exercising jurisdiction under this Act in connection with the agreement while the agreement was in force; and
(d) any order made under paragraph (9)(b) in connection with the revocation of the approval of the agreement.
(15) In this section, approved maintenance agreement means a maintenance agreement that has been approved under this section and the approval of which has not been revoked.
(16) Nothing in this Act affects the operation of an agreement sanctioned under paragraph 87(1)(k) of the repealed Act or the rights and obligations of a person under such an agreement.
(17) Subject to section 89, this section does not apply to overseas maintenance agreements.