Separation from your partner may take place under the same roof.

The court must however be able to differentiate between a bad relationship and a relationship that has broken down irretrievably.

The factors determining the status of the relationship may include one or more of the following situations:

• Whether you and your partner sleep in separate bedrooms or together
• Whether you and your partner provide domestic duties for each other such as cooking, cleaning, shopping
• Whether you and your partner entertain together within the household or outside the home environment
• Whether you have informed family or friends of the separation
• Whether you or your partner have informed government departments as to the separation and have applied, for example, for financial support from Centrelink