Family farming and property settlements under the 'Family Law Act 1975' and the category of 'special contributions'

An analysis of the history of rural property settlements in Australia reveals that women have generally not received what may be considered a 'fair share' of rural property following divorce. The reasons for women's exclusion from a fair share in property settlements are not always apparent from legal judgments. Some critiques of family law have suggested that one reason is that their contributions to the farm have been seen as domestic rather than financial.