On the 24^th November the ABS released these figures confirmed what all of us had assumed – the number of marriages plummeted. In fact, down 30.6% to 78,989 for all types legal types of marriage in Australia. The ABS also commented as a “Key Statistic” that the 10^th October was the most common wedding – the Saturday nearest to this date has been the trend for some years now.

The ABS also reported that the national average % of same-sex ‘marriages’ was 3.7%.

The registered relationship register showed only a small decrease to19055 in 2020 against 19870 in 2019

Whilst the number of marriages taking place in the year took a hit, regrettably this was not so for divorces remaining with the rate of 1.9 divorces per 1000 population (the crude divorce rate) and as a result some 41,592 have been affected by their parents divorcing and potentially leaving them with negative thoughts about marriage. The only good news with the divorce figures is that the crude rate is continuing its trend around this rate compared to the rate of 2.6 back in the year 2000.

The ABS warns that divorces are generally only granted after a period of 12 months or more of separation. It follows that any breakdown of marriages during this period with lockdowns etc, are not likely to be reflected in the divorce rate for some time. Looking at the Family Court Lists for the principal court in each capital city there are a total of just under 500 matters coming before the courts and this excludes those before the other Family Courts around the nation!

Marriage and family continue to be under attack and we in the church need to be sure that the marriages/families around us, in the church and beyond, are not only included in our prayers, but that we are able to minister to them continuing to show how the Gospel message and the life of Jesus relates in our lives and all our relationships.