were going to war, and also to the accessibility of the female contraceptive pill as couples now felt they could enjoy the advantages of marriage without the restrictions of immediate parenthood (Carmichael, 1988, 198). After the introduction of the Family Law Act in 1975, which allowed any spouses who had been separated to obtain a divorce, many individuals were free to remarry (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 1995, 4). This saw a rise in the crude marriage rate for a short time around 1975 to 1976. A high percentage of these marriages were remarriages (refer table 1).
             Table 1: Previous Marital Status of bride and bridegroom
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