Sayers and Gilpin and Anor

In *Sayers and Gilpin and Anor*, heard before Judge L. Turner, the applicant Ms Sayers sought to establish the existence of a de facto relationship with the respondent Mr Gilpin for the purposes of property settlement proceedings under the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth). The dispute centred on whether the parties' relationship met the statutory definition of a de facto relationship.

The primary legal issue before the court was to determine whether Ms Sayers and Mr Gilpin were in a de facto relationship as defined by section 4AA of the *Family Law Act 1975*. This determination was crucial as it formed the jurisdictional basis for the court to entertain applications for property division under Part VIIIAB of the Act.

Judge L. Turner found that a de facto relationship, as defined by section 4AA of the *Family Law Act 1975*, never existed between Ms Sayers and Mr Gilpin. Consequently, the court dismissed all applications made in respect to de facto property proceedings.