When a relationship breaks down it can often leave one party without financial support and this can make it difficult to properly fund a legal case to obtain appropriate property settlement and other rights. 

Provisions of the Family Law Act provide that, in appropriate circumstances, the Court can order that the party in control of funds make available to the other party sufficient money to pay legal costs and investigative costs so that their case can be properly prepared. Proper preparation and funding for preparation can make an enormous difference in Family Law and Property Relationships Act cases. 

An appeal to the Family Court recently confirmed that where (in this case) the wife needed funds to meet ongoing legal costs of the proceedings and where she did not have the funds to pay those costs it was appropriate to exercise their discretion to make an Order compelling the husband to make those funds available.