child brides in australia, page-13

"18 yrs minimum unless court permission to wed between 16-18 yrs."

I think that is only since the Marriage Act of 1961. I think prior to that, a girl could marry younger with Court permission.

Also, the laws were different in Aboriginal communities.

"Generally a girl cannot marry under the Marriage Act 1961 (Cth) unless she is 16 years old, but a 14 year old girl can marry if she obtains judicial consent to do so.[144] Intercourse with a 14 year old wife would not be ‘unlawful’ for the purposes of the offence.[145 "
http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/14.%20Aboriginal%20Traditional%20Marriage%3A%20Areas%20for%20Recognition/criminal-law

GZ