GOMIS & DANTAS

In *Gomis & Dantas*, the applicant sought a declaration of nullity concerning a marriage ceremony that took place in Australia. The parties had previously been validly married in Country D. The dispute centred on the validity of the subsequent Australian marriage ceremony.

The central legal issue before Hannam J was whether the Australian marriage ceremony was void, thereby entitling the applicant to a declaration of nullity. This required the court to consider the circumstances under which a marriage can be found to be void in Australian law, particularly in light of a pre-existing valid marriage.

Hannam J found that the Australian marriage was void. The reasoning applied by the court, though not detailed in the provided text, led to the conclusion that the second ceremony did not create a valid legal union. Consequently, the court made orders declaring the marriage conducted in Victoria in August 2017 to be void and a nullity, and dismissed all outstanding applications and cross-applications.