Perth couple file for Australia’s first same-sex divorce

Two Perth women are filing for what could be Australia’s first same-sex divorce.

The couple married at a consulate in 2015, under the laws of a country that permitted same-sex marriage, but separated shortly thereafter, ABC News has reported.

They found that getting a divorce, prior to marriage equality, was impossible because Australia didn’t recognise their union.

One of the women had engaged lawyers Maria Loukas and Teresa Farmer to investigate whether the couple could divorce.

“The difficulty for this particular couple was having married under legislation of a European country, they couldn’t access the divorce system in that country because they weren’t residents in that country, neither of them were,” said Farmer.

“They were very much caught with no other option.”

As of last week, same-sex marriages conducted overseas are now recognised in Australia, leaving the couple free to divorce.

The lawyers are now lodging the paperwork to finally allow them to divorce.

“For her it’s been about not being able to move on with her life,” said Loukas.

“It’s been about not being able to tidy up the end of something to be able to start fresh somewhere else.”

Farmer said she didn’t know what would have happened for the couple had Australia not passed marriage equality.

“It’s a shame it’s taken as long as it has but it provides an equality for all married couples on all bases, so it’s important,” she said.

Earlier this year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee deemed that Australia not allowing same-sex couples to divorce constituted an international human rights violation.