Challenging a Will under a Family Provision Application

A recent post listed the five main ways in which a will can be challenged – see - Ways to contest a will

One of the aspects listed was the ability to challenge a will due to the will maker’s failure to make adequate provision for certain beneficiaries.

The laws underpinning family provision applications are often referred to as an example of the courts applying 'The Vibe', as popularised in the classic Australian movie 'The Castle' -see - The Castle (1997 Australian film) and It's the constitution. It's Mabo. It's justice. It's law. It's the vibe....

Certainly family provision applications are by their very nature extremely subjective and therefore often turn almost entirely on the court's interpretation of the factual matrix.

This said, there are a number of key components to a family provision application, including:

1. Before a person can make an application for further provision, they must be within a defined category set out under the legislation:
1. Generally, children (including adult children), current spouses or anyone that is financially dependent on the will maker are able to make an application for further provision;
2. There are other potential categories other than those listed above including in certain situations, stepchildren and de facto spouses (even where the will maker is also lawfully married);
2. The test then applied by a court is to determine whether a person within the defined category has received adequate provision from the will maker’s estate for their proper maintenance and support, as determined by the court in its discretion;
3. If a court determines that adequate support was not provided, it then can make such further provision as it again determines in its discretion; and
4. One of the key aspects of family provision applications is that generally it is only the assets that form part of the will maker’s personal wealth that can be reallocated by a court.