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Corrupt Australian government knowingly forcing people to pay unlawful debts:

https://thenewdaily.com.au/finance/welfare/2020/02/06/emails-robo-debt-illegal/

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Living under one roof while separated. Is it the right decision for me?

If you’re considering separating, you may be wondering whether separating under the one roof is the right decision for you and your family. As with most things involving separation and divorce, simple questions often lead to complex answers. Ultimately, it depends on: Your financial situationYour relationship with the other parentThe age of your childrenYour relationship with your childrenWhat decisions you and the other parent have made regarding care arrangements in the short, medium and long termWhether anyone in the home is at risk of harm Let’s take a closer look at each factor.

Your financial situation

If you’re like many families, you live from week to week, paycheck to paycheck. Either one of you is working full time while the other remains home to look after the children, or you both work. And even if you both work, chances are the majority of one salary pays for the education and care of your children. So, before you do anything, you need to work out: How much money is coming inWho is contributing and what percentageWhat expenses you haveWhen those expenses are dueHow the mortgage, rent, groceries, and utilities will be paidWho will pay for those expenses moving forwardWhether these arrangements will be short-term or ongoing Also, it’s important to remember that if you continue to share expenses but don’t separate your bank accounts, the court may reject your application for divorce. You can check here to see what the court looks for when deciding whether you remained married, or separated.

Your relationship with the other parent

Look, if you’re choosing to separate, your relationship obviously isn’t ideal. However, if you and the other person can maintain an amicable relationship, your chances of successfully living under one roof while separated are higher. In amicable relationships, both of you are more likely to be open minded, flexible, and understanding. Not only will this approach serve you well, it will also demonstrate positive communication models to your children.  On the flip side, if your relationship with the other parent is acrimonious, continuing to live together under the same roof for anything longer than a couple of weeks will only damage the relationship further. Sadly, the majority of separations fall into this latter category. The primary reason being a lack of trust resulting from gambling, infidelity or secret spending. If you’re going to remain under the same roof while separated, you want to trust that the other person is paying their share of the bills, and isn’t bringing new partners home. So, if either of you is gambling, bringing others home to rub the other person’s nose in it, or aren’t contributing to your share of the bills, remaining under the one roof is likely to be unsuccessful.

The age of your children will determine your level of involvement.

The age of your children

Newborn babies are helpless little creatures. They’re incapable of feeding themselves, getting dressed, and going to the toilet in the appropriate place. For this reason, you may decide that if you have a newborn or toddler, the best thing to do is hang around and lend a hand. Not only will this help you develop a bond with your child, but it will also help share the burden of raising a child. If your children are primary school age, they still require plenty of assistance in their everyday lives. You can teach them how to make breakfast, prepare their lunch, and get ready for the next day the night before. Depending on your work hours, you may also be able to drop your kids off or pick them up from school. You may be surprised just how much they love having you pick them up if the other parent normally does. Don’t underestimate the value children place on spending time with you. As your children move into the teenage years, they’ll start to form their own identity. They want to be cool like the other kids (which means not being seen with you) and start to run their own lives. This doesn’t mean they don’t want to spend time with you. It simply means they want to decide how, and when, that time is spent. It’s important at this age that you still provide guidance and support to your children. Particularly for teenage girls and mid-teen boys. Provide them guidance, a listening ear, and strength to help them back to their feet. If your children are working, they may even choose to help pay some of the bills. This will ease the financial burden. It may help you decide whether you’re best to stay or move out.

Your relationship with your children

More important than their age, is your relationship with your children. You may have fallen into the trap of working longer and harder to pay the bills. This means less time at home, and less time with the kids. If you’re also the disciplinarian, this could lead to the children believing you’re always cranky and never around. You can fix this, however. Chat to your boss to see if you can work flexible hours. Maybe that’s leaving early one day a week. Or working long hours one week so you can take a day off the following week or leave early every day. As for the discipline, there’s no reason you always have to be the bad guy. The best time to address bad behaviour is when the incident occurs. If you’re not around, you shouldn’t be the one doling out the discipline. Do some research and chat with the other parent about how they can discipline the children when behaving poorly in their care. Being more active in your children’s lives, and showing them you have a loving, caring side also is invaluable. Not only will a good relationship with your children help you now, it will also help your relationship with them when you and the other parent are living separately. So, if your relationship with your children could be improved, now is the time to work on it. And that leads me into the next thing to consider.

What decisions you and the other parent have made regarding care arrangements in the short, medium and long term

Look, some guys want to be involved in their kids' lives, some don’t. At the same time, there are plenty of dads who want to play an active, ongoing role in the lives of their children but the other parent won’t let them. As I mentioned in the previous section, you really need to consider what sort a relationship you want with your children. If you have children aged 3 and under, and you and the other parent aren’t planning on you playing a role in their lives, get out now. Most children aged eight or older don’t have a recollection of anything prior to age four. Therefore, if you aren’t going to be around, it’s best to leave now before your child has memories and recollections of you in their life. If you are going to be around, you need to consider in what capacity? For example, if you want to spend more than every second weekend with your kids, you need to take a look at how your life is currently structured. Most men work long hours, Monday to Friday, and only see their children late at night or on weekends. In most cases, if there is a dispute regarding the care of children, the Court will retain the status quo. That is, however, things are now, shall remain. While this may appear unfair in light of laws regarding equal shared care, if you can’t demonstrate that you can provide that shared care, there’s little the Court can do. And don’t shoot me, I’m just the messenger. So, if you want to play a bigger role in your children’s lives moving forward, you need to make the necessary changes now. Therefore, living under one roof while separated makes sense in this instance.

If there's any risk of harm, you need to reconsider living under the one roof.

Whether anyone in the home is at risk of harm

Finally, the biggest thing to consider is whether anyone in the home is at risk of harm or abuse. This consideration isn’t just because you are separating. You should consider this is each of your relationships, whether intimate relationships or not. Regardless of your answers to the previous factors, if anyone is at risk of harm, the person inflicting that harm or abuse should seek help and remove themselves from the premises immediately. You can’t unbreak a broken child. And they can never fathom how someone who is supposed to love them could harm them. Therefore, if you or the other parent are abusing or harming your children, you should not live under the same roof while separated. Abuse and harm of any kind are learned, and often, victims go on to become perpetrators. The easiest way to break the cycle is to remove the offender from the environment before they harm the children. If you are being abused, record the event in a diary and report the incident to police. Everyone has the right to feel safe.

Final thoughts?

As you can see, there’s quite a lot to consider. Only you can decide whether living under the same roof while separated is the best solution for your family. In addition to the financial and relationship considerations, you need to consider past, current and future circumstances. Ultimately, each situation is unique. I hope this blog has helped you decide the best outcome for you and your family. Read the full article

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Being separated or divorced can be lonely at times. That's normal and natural.

Rather than pushing that feeling away or trying to run from it, sometimes, you just have to sit with it. Be comfortable being uncomfortable.

And when you do, play this song, close your eyes and immerse yourself in it.

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Separated Under One Roof: What It Means For You

These days, it's not unusual for people to be separated under one roof. Maybe you're trying trial separation. Perhaps you simply can't afford to live separately until your divorce is finalised. Whatever the reason, it's important that you have an understanding of what being separated under one roof means. You’ll also need to know: how it is determined by the Department of Human Services,how you can apply for a change in relationship statusif you are entitled to receive government assistance, andwhat you need to prove and supply to the court when applying for divorce. Let’s start with the definition.

What is separation under one roof?

According to the Family Court of Australia, “Separation under one roof is when a husband and wife separate but continue to live in the same home. It may be for a few days, weeks, months or years following separation.” As you can see, the definition is pretty clear cut. Therefore, it's important to record the date the conversation took place and when your separation, or trial separation, began. This will impact your final divorce date and whether your application for divorce is accepted by the court. So, if you meet some or all of these criteria, you may already be deemed as living separately.

How is separated under one roof determined?

How is separated under one roof determined?

Once your (trial) separation commences, you may be entitled to some financial assistance from the government. This includes rent assistance, child care benefit, Family Tax Benefit A, and Family Tax Benefit B. Before applying for these payments, it's important that you understand how the Department of Social Security determines what being separated under one roof means. The 5 key factors they assess are: Financial aspects of the relationship.Nature of the household.Social aspects of the relationship.Presents of a sexual relationship, andNature of the commitment.  Put simply, the department will determine whether efforts have been made to: separate financial arrangements such as bills and bank accounts,pay for your own living expenses,whether property settlement has commenced or been completed, andif there is a potential or actual child support liability. So, if you haven’t already done so, you may want to separate your finances and update your relationship status with Centrelink.

How do I apply for separated under one roof status with Centrelink?

The easiest way to update your relationship status with Centrelink is to complete this form. It’s important that you answer all the questions in as much detail as possible. You will also need to provide any supporting documentation that may be required. If you get stuck or you're uncertain what a question is asking, simply call Centrelink on 136 150. You may have to wait on hold for up to an hour, but think of how much money that one hour could save you. It definitely is worth it. You can find a full list of payments and benefits provided by the Department of Human Services here. Once you’ve completed your application with Centrelink, you may want to contact other government departments to see what other benefits and assistance you may be entitled to. Traditionally, men don’t like to take handouts. I get it. It’s the way you were raised. But sometimes you need help getting on your feet so you can stand on your own. Now isn't the time to let pride get in the way. While it may seem frustrating at the moment, completing these activities will help things go smoothly when you finally apply for divorce.

Applying online is easy.

Applying for divorce after being separated under one roof

“When applying for divorce after living under the one roof while separated, you'll need to demonstrate to the court: Why you continued to live in the same home following separation and what intention, if any, you have of changing the situation.Living arrangements you made for any child of the marriage under 18 years during the time you were living under one roof.What government departments you have advised of your separation if you receive a government benefit; for example, Centrelink or the Department of Human Services (Child Support). If correspondence has been received from these departments about your separation, attach a copy to your affidavit.” Source: Family Court of Australia website. By the time you reach this stage, the application for divorce will merely be a formality. You’ll have separated your finances, paid your own cost of living expenses, transitioned through the 5 stages of grief, and made care arrangements for the children. And, you are in a much better position to apply to the court for a joint application for divorce. In turn, you are more likely to reach orders by consent, saving you tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary legal fees. Once you’ve reached this stage, you’ll need the samples, links, and templates I’ve provided below: A sample Affidavit for separation under one roof templateApplication for Divorce “how do I?”A link to Application for Consent Orders form. Be sure to bookmark and save these for when the time comes.

Summary

So, now you know what separation under one roof is. You understand how it’s determined. And, you know how you can apply for financial assistance. All that’s left is to decide whether separating under one roof is the right decision for you. Read the full article

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3 Steps To Fast Consent Orders

Separation and divorce can be emotionally and financially draining - that's no secret. But if you follow these 3 steps to fast consent orders, you'll save yourself a lot of time, stress and money. Consent Orders - the fastest, cheapest way to get through separation and divorce.

Time

Time is your most valuable resource and you schedule your work and private lives to maximise it. Let's face it. You've had that unexpected meeting. Driven to the "no show" client. Been interrupted by phone, email or a colleague. And you've likely also had the weather impact your personal or professional plans. So can you imagine how much time you'd lose through court appearances, legal appointments, and conversations with your ex-partner if your case went to trial? And it's not just one-off appointments or as though the court can rush you through in a week or two. No, if you're unable to come to agreement with the other party, you are looking at 12-18 months for the matter to be resolved if it goes to trial! Can you really afford that level of interruption and the ongoing frustration?

How much will the stress cost you financially and health-wise?

Stress

In 2020, you have access to more tools, resources, and health and well-being organisations than at any time during human existence, yet you're more stressed than ever. Internal deadlines. External deadlines. Sick colleagues. Logistics for your child's curricular and extra-curricular activities. Sport. Social life. Birthdays. Family. Gifts. Work functions. The list goes on! Whether you're a highly capable individual working at the corporate level, or a highly skilled labourer, make no mistake, trying to balance court appearances and their unexpected outcomes will take its toll on you. And given the duration associated with acrimonious separations, stress becomes chronic rather than acute. Your immune system wears down. You become prone to illness. And even if you are able to minimise days off work as a result, your output and quality of work will be sub-optimal. Should you succumb to illness, particularly as a contractor, suddenly the financial impact becomes greater.

Money

"Time is money." It's a cliche for a reason. In addition to the financial impact resulting from illness, the moment you engage legal assistance beyond a cursory discovery meeting, your asset pool diminishes. Listen, I'm going to be honest here. The only reason family law experts are so busy, is because many adults are unable to resolve their differences in an adult manner. You don't work for free, so why should you expect a legal professional to (free community centres aside)? Because legal professionals can only represent the interests of one party, it effectively means that you and your ex-partner are double dipping to have your matter resolved. It doesn't take long to expend $10,000 each on legal advice and communication. Nor is it unusual to spend upward of $20,000 if the matter proceeds to trial. So, you really need to consider if the money or assets you're fighting over are worth it.

Clamping your wallet shut is one way to control your spend.

Summary

Separation and divorce is no fun for anyone. You need to retain a level-head during this emotional time and truly weigh up the time, stress and financial impost of going to court with the possibility of proceeding to trial. If you were to cost in these factors - loss of wages, health care, legal fees and a reduced asset pool - you'd probably conclude that it's faster, easier, and less stressful to simply give that extra 5% or 10% of the asset pool to your ex-partner, and get on living, stress-free. Get started now by downloading the 3 Steps to Fast Consent Orders PDF below. 3-Steps-To-Fast-Consent-OrdersDownload Be sure to leave a comment about your experience when dealing with separation, parenting plans, financial settlement and court orders (remembering you can't provide specifics about any orders currently in place). And don't forget to reach out and contact us if you require any assistance. Read the full article