Cao and Song

In the matter of *Cao and Song*, heard before Foster J, the applicant, Ms Cao, sought a declaration that her marriage to the respondent, Mr Song, solemnised in Suburb A, New South Wales in 2013, was a nullity. The core of the dispute concerned the validity of the marriage.

The central legal issue before the court was whether the marriage between Ms Cao and Mr Song was valid at its inception, or if it was void ab initio. This required the court to consider the legal requirements for a valid marriage under Australian law and whether those requirements had been met in this instance.

Foster J declared the marriage a nullity. While the specific reasons for this declaration are not detailed in the provided text, the outcome signifies that the court found the marriage to be void from its commencement, meaning it was never legally recognised as a valid union. The formal orders were subject to the entry of the judgment in the Court’s records.