​ሕግንና ደንብን በተመለከተ እርዳታ ማግኘት ይፈልጋሉን? - Amharic | هل تحتاج لمساعدة قانونية؟ - Arabic | ܤܢܝܼܩܵܐ ܝ݇ܘ̤ܬ ܠܗܲܝܵܪܬܵܐ ܩܵܢܘܿܢܵܝܬܵܐ؟ - Assyrian | Need Legal Help? - Auslan | Treba li vam pravna pomoc? - Bosnian | Burmese â Need Legal Help? | 需要法律帮助吗? - Chinese Simplified | 需要法律幫助嗎? - Chinese Traditional | Trebate li pravnu pomoć? - Croatian | ضرورت به کمک قانونی دارید؟ - Dari | Wïc Kuɔɔny në Wɛ̈t Löŋ? - Dinka | آیا به کمک حقوقی نیاز دارید؟ - Farsi | Gadreva na Veivuke Vakalawa? - Fijian | Kailangan ninyo ba ng tulong na panglegal? - Filipino | Besoin d’aide juridique ? - French | Χρειάζεστε βοήθεια σε νομικά ζητήματα - Greek | क्या आपको कानूनी सलाह चाहिए? - Hindi | Butuhkan Bantuan dalam Masalah Hukum? - Indonesian | Hai bisogno di assistenza legale? - Italian | ត្រូវការជំនួយលើបញ្ហាផ្លូវច្បាប់ឬទេ? - Khmer | 법적인 도움이 필요하십니까? - Korean | Ви треба ли помош со правни работи? - Macedonian | कानूनी सहयोग चाहिएको छ? - Nepalese | Necessita de ajuda com questões jurídicas? - Portuguese | Вам нужна юридическая помощь? - Russian | E Manaomia Fesoasoani i Mea Tau Tulafono? - Samoan | а ли вам треба помоћ у правним питањима? - Serbian | Ma u baahan tahay Caawimmad xagga sharciga ah?- Somali | ¿Necesita ayuda con cuestiones jurídicas? - Spanish | சட்ட உதவி தேவையா? - Tamil | ท่านต้องการความช่วยเหลือทางด้านกฎหมายไหม? - Thai | Fiema’u ha tokoni Fakalao? - Tongan | Yasal Danışmaya İhtiyacınız mı var? - Turkish | Cần Được Giúp Đỡ Về Luật Pháp? - Vietnamese |

Department of Justice is now the Department of Communities and Justice.  Find out more >

Going to the hearing

Whether you have to attend the divorce hearing depends if you: 

  • made a sole or joint application
  • have a child under 18 years old with your spouse
  • filed a Response to the Divorce 
  • are seeking substituted service or to dispense with service. 

This section covers:


    When you have to go to the hearing

    Joint Application

    If you and your spouse file a joint divorce application, you don’t have to attend the divorce hearing (even if you and your spouse have a child under 18 years old), unless you have said you will attend in your application. If you don’t attend, it’s important to check what happened at the hearing.

    Sole Application

    If you file a sole application, you don’t have to attend the divorce hearing if:

    • you and your spouse don’t have a child under 18 years old, and
    • your spouse does not respond to your Application for Divorce.

    You should consider attending if there are any complex issues, for example, separation under one roof, it was a short marriage or there are problems with the marriage certificate.

    You have to attend the divorce hearing if:

    • you and your spouse have a child under 18 years old
    • your spouse files a Rsponse to Divorce opposing your Application for Divorce
    • you have filed an Application in a Case for Substituted Service or Dispensation of Service Orders, or
    • you asked to attend. 

    Response to Divorce

    You will need to attend the divorce hearing if you file a Response to Divorce opposing your spouse’s Application for Divorce. You will need to explain to the Court why you are opposing the application.  

    Attending by telephone or video link 

    All divorce hearings are by telephone unless you have asked to attend in person, or the Court orders you to attend in person.

    You can find the details of your hearing, on the Commonwealth Courts Portal or the court lists from 4pm the day before the hearing.

    For the court lists, see Daily court lists on the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia website.

    If you have been ordered to attend the hearing in person, but  are not available, you can ask to attend the divorce hearing by telephone or video link. 

    To do this, you must:

    • inform your spouse that you will be asking the Court to attend by telephone or video link, and
    • file a Telephone/Video link attendance request form at least five business days before the hearing at the court registry where the hearing will take place. You can download a copy of the Telephone/Video link attendance request form from the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia website. 

    It is up to the Court whether to grant your request or not. 

    Alert iconYour safety is important. If you feel unsafe or are experiencing any violence, contact the police, a domestic violence counsellor or get legal advice.

    Instructions/sample form iconInstructions: Instructions for completing a Request to attend by electronic communication

    Instructions/sample form iconSample: Sample Request to attend by electronic communication

    Preparing for the hearing

    It is important that you prepare for your divorce hearing so you can tell the Court about your application and answer the Court’s questions. 

    You should read the documents that have been filed with the Court and plan what you want to say.

    If you need an interpreter or other support from the Court, you should notify the Court at least two weeks before the hearing.

    Step-by-step guide iconStep by step guide: Preparing for the hearing 

    Safety concerns

    If you are concerned about your safety, you should tell the court staff at least five working days before the hearing so that they have time to make arrangements to protect your safety. 

    This can include:

    • use of the safe room
    • a separate entry and exit point from the court
    • allowing you to have a support person 
    • allowing you to give evidence by video or audio link
    • closing the court to the public 
    • excluding certain people from being in the courtroom. 

    If there is an Apprehended Domestic Violence Order (ADVO) in place concerning you and your spouse, you should have included information about this in your application. If you didn’t, you should get legal advice. 

    For more information, see Do you have fears for your safety when attending court? on the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia website. 

    Going to the hearing

    At the divorce hearing, the Court will consider the documents that have been filed by you and your spouse and anything you want to say and then make a decision. 

    The Court may:

    • grant a Divorce Order
    • adjourn or dismiss your application
    • make Substituted Service or Dispensation of Service Orders
    • make any other Orders.  

    Step-by-step guide iconStep by step guide: Going to the hearing 

    Picture of the parties in the courtroom

    Further information

    Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia - Divorce hearing