An amendment Bill enabling victims of family violence to quickly dissolve abusive marriages is set to pass into law today, with unanimous support from both sides of the House.
The Family Proceedings (Dissolution for Family Violence) Amendment Bill is now due to be read for a third and final time in Parliament, four years after Wellington woman Ashley Jones began her petition to her local MP for the law change.
The Bill, nicknamed “Ashley’s Law”, will allow survivors of family violence to apply for a dissolution of marriage immediately following the making of a final protection order against an abusive spouse. The law has historically required spouses to live apart for two years prior to making an application to dissolve a marriage with no exceptions for instances of family violence or abusive relationships.
The Bill has enjoyed strong support from the public and both sides of the House, with Labour MP Deborah Russell, who is in charge to guiding the Bill through its final reading, acknowledging that this “particular change is really important because of the way that abusers can continue to abuse their ex-partner because they are tied to them legally”. The Bill therefore allows for survivors of family violence to affect a fast legal separation from their abusive spouse.
Once passed, the Bill will amend the dissolution provisions of the Family Proceedings Act 1980 to give effect to the above changes.
Jo Naidoo and Harrison Thien are part of our Family Disputes team at Norris Ward McKinnon.