People form, or are born into, an indefinite number and variety of personal relationships throughout their lives. Because of the complexity and diversity of personal relationships, there cannot be one law that deals comprehensively with all personal relationships: various laws regulate different aspects of different relationships in different ways. Being in a personal relationship may attract certain legal consequences in areas such as pension or superannuation entitlements, victims’ compensation, domestic violence, succession and guardianship laws, and the ability to make medical decisions on behalf of another. The law rests on a number of assumptions about how people organize their private lives, and how they relate to their parents, partners, children, and those with whom they make a home. There is a myriad of legal issues affecting the rights and obligations of personal relationship. Some of the aims of personal relationships law include:
