INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT

For information on the institutional environment of the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), including the legislative obligations of the ABS, financing and governance arrangements, and mechanisms for scrutiny of ABS operations, please see ABS Institutional Environment.

Statistics presented in Marriages and Divorces, Australia, 2008 (cat. no. 3310.0) are sourced from registers administered by the various state and territory Registrars of Births, Deaths and Marriages, and the Family Court of Australia. It is a legal requirement of each state and territory that all marriages are registered. The Family Court of Australia was created by the Family Law Act 1975.

RELEVANCE

Marriages and Divorces, Australia presents statistics on registered marriages and divorces granted in Australia in 2008.

Marriage statistics provide valuable information for the analysis of family formation in Australia. This electronic product presents data at the national and state level on registered marriages by age, previous marital status, country of birth and relative country of birth of both males and females, type of celebrant and whether couples live together prior to marriage. Crude and age-specific marriage rates are also provided.

Divorces statistics provide information on divorces granted in Australia for the current year. Key indicators of national and state divorces are based on the location of the court granting divorce. Under the Family Law Act 1975, the irretrievable breakdown of marriage is the only ground on which a divorce is granted. This ground is established by the husband and wife having lived apart for 12 months or more, and there being no reasonable likelihood of reconciliation. Applications for nullity of a marriage under Family Law legislation must be on the ground that the marriage is void because of failure to meet a legal requirement such as that neither party be already lawfully married to another person. There is no provision for judicial separation under Family Law legislation.


TIMELINESS

Marriages and Divorces, Australia is produced annually. From 2008, this product replaces the annual publications Marriages, Australia (cat. no. 3306.0.55.001) and Divorces, Australia (cat. no. 3307.0.55.001).

Marriages statistics are produced from data collected by the ABS from the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages in each state and territory. Information from the collection is released approximately eight months after the reference period.

Divorces statistics are produced from data collected by the Family Court of Australia; all couples granted divorce (decree made absolute) during the year are included. Information from the collection is released approximately eight months after the reference period.


ACCURACY

Non-sample errors are the main influence on accuracy in datasets such as this which are a complete census of the population rather than a sample. Non-sample error arises from inaccuracies in collecting, recording and processing the data. The most significant of these errors are: misreporting of data items; deficiencies in coverage; non-response to particular questions; and processing errors. Every effort is made to minimise error by working closely with data providers, the careful design of forms, training of processing staff, and efficient data processing procedures.


COHERENCE

Use of the supporting documentation released with the statistics is important for assessing coherence within the dataset and when comparing the statistics with data from other sources. The Explanatory Notes in each issue contains information pertinent to this particular release which may impact on comparison over time.

INTERPRETABILITY

Marriages and Divorces, Australia contains detailed Explanatory Notes, Appendices and Glossary that provide information on the data sources, terminology, classifications and other technical aspects associated with these statistics.

ACCESSIBILITY

In addition to the information provided in this publication, a series of data cubes are also available providing detailed information on marriages and divorces. If the information you require is not available from the publication or the data cubes, then the ABS may also have other relevant data available on request. Inquiries should be made to the National Information and Referral Service on 1300 135 070 or by sending an email to client.services@abs.gov.au