Marriage Act 1955

56 Offence to deny or impugn validity of lawful marriage

• (1) Every person commits an offence against this Act, and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding $200, who—

  • (a) alleges, expressly or by implication, that any persons lawfully married are not truly and sufficiently married; or

  • (b) alleges, expressly or by implication, that the issue of any lawful marriage is illegitimate or born out of true wedlock.

  (2) For the purposes of this section the term alleges means making any verbal statement, or publishing or issuing any printed or written statement, or in any manner authorising the making of any verbal statement, or in any manner authorising or being party to the publication or issue of any printed or written statement.

  (3) A person shall not be deemed to make an allegation contrary to the provisions of this section by reason only of using in the solemnisation of a marriage a form of marriage service which at the commencement of this Act was in use by the religious body to which that person belongs, or by reason only of the printing or issue of any book containing a copy of a form of marriage service in use at the commencement of this Act by any religious body.

  Compare: 1920 No 65 s 7