How do they assess the 12 month relationship?
In assessing a de facto spouse or interdependent relationship, the government normally looks at evidence of such things as living together full-time, sharing important financial (bank accounts) and social commitments (holidays etc), setting up a household separately from other people.

Note: Periods of 'dating' would not generally be considered to count towards the 12-month relationship requirement. Some of the factors to be considered in deciding whether the partners satisfy the requirement include:

• Knowledge of each other’s personal circumstances
• Financial aspects of the relationship, such as any joint ownership of real estate, Joint bank accounts or other major assets
• The nature of the household, including living arrangements such as joint residential receipts or joint household accounts the social aspects of the relationship, provided in statements (statutory declarations) by parents, family members, relatives, friends and other interested parties
• Joint membership of organizations or joint participation in sporting, social or other activities, and
• joint travel.