【本文摘要】
在澳洲，很多家庭由子女陪着年迈的父母去立遗嘱、改遗嘱。但如果遗嘱把更多财产留给了陪同或安排的那个子女，其他家人日后可能质疑：父母当时有没有立遗嘱的能力？是不是被不当影响？这两类挑战针对的是遗嘱本身是否有效，而不是分配是否合理——后者是家庭供养申请的范畴。在维州，挑战遗嘱有效性的案件在最高法院提出，没有统一的法定时限；挑战一旦成功，可能回到更早的遗嘱，或按无遗嘱继承处理。本文说明法院看什么、哪些情形会被视为”可疑情形”，以及给父母办遗嘱时有哪些常见的保护做法。
作者：Chun Qiu | 维多利亚州执业律师 | HWC Legal Melbourne
最后更新：2026年10月
遗嘱能不能站得住，不只看”写了什么”，更看”是怎么写出来的”
Subtitle: Whether a will stands up depends not only on what it says, but on how it came to be made
📌核心提醒：质疑遗嘱有效性和家庭供养申请是两回事——前者问”这份遗嘱算不算数”，后者问”遗嘱分得够不够”。
Core point: challenging a will’s validity and bringing a family provision claim are different things — the first asks “does this will count”, the second asks “does it provide enough”.
目录
- 先分清：挑战遗嘱的两种方式
- 法院看什么
- 哪些情形最容易被质疑
- 常见的保护做法
- 挑战成功会怎样
- 时限与程序
- 哪些情况建议尽早咨询
- FAQ
一、先分清：挑战遗嘱的两种方式First, two different kinds of challenge
📜 挑战遗嘱本身是否有效
📜 Challenging whether the will is valid
这类挑战主张遗嘱本身不成立，常见理由包括立遗嘱人缺乏立遗嘱能力、没有真正知晓并认可内容、受到不当影响、存在欺诈，或不符合法定形式。
This kind of challenge says the will itself doesn’t stand — common grounds include lack of testamentary capacity, not knowing and approving the contents, undue influence, fraud, or defective formalities.
⚖️ 家庭供养申请
⚖️ A family provision claim
这类申请承认遗嘱有效，但主张遗嘱没有为合格申请人提供适当的维持和扶助，请求法院调整分配。
This kind of claim accepts the will is valid but argues it fails to make adequate provision for an eligible person, and asks the Court to adjust the distribution.
家庭供养申请我们在此前的文章里已有详细说明，本文讲的是前者。
We covered family provision claims in an earlier article; this one is about the first kind.
二、法院看什么
2. What the Court looks at
🧠 立遗嘱能力
🧠 Testamentary capacity
法院通常会看，立遗嘱人在立遗嘱时，是否理解立遗嘱的性质和后果、是否大致知道自己有哪些财产，以及是否能够理解可能期待受益的人的主张。
The Court generally asks whether, when making the will, the person understood the nature and effect of making a will, broadly knew what property they had, and could appreciate the claims of people who might expect to benefit.
这一标准通常被称为Banks v Goodfellow标准。
This is commonly known as the Banks v Goodfellow test.
关键是”立遗嘱的那一刻”的能力，而不是此前或此后的状态，也不是某个诊断本身。
What matters is capacity at the time the will was made — not before or after, and not a diagnosis in itself.
在涉及能力的案件中，医生的专家报告往往是重要证据。
In capacity cases, expert reports from medical practitioners are often important evidence.
✅ 知情并认可内容
✅ Knowledge and approval
即使立遗嘱人具备立遗嘱能力，也还必须真正知道并认可遗嘱的内容。
Even where there is capacity, the will-maker must also have known and approved the contents of the will.
存在”可疑情形”时，法院可能要求支持遗嘱的一方证明，立遗嘱人当时完全理解并认可其内容。
Where “suspicious circumstances” exist, the Court may require the person upholding the will to prove that the will-maker fully understood and approved its terms.
🤝 不当影响
🤝 Undue influence
如果立遗嘱人受到压力、操控或胁迫，遗嘱可能因不当影响而无效。
If the will-maker was subjected to pressure, manipulation or coercion, the will may be invalid for undue influence.
仅仅是说服，并不足以构成不当影响。
Mere persuasion is not enough to establish undue influence.
实践中，不当影响通常很难证明，一般由主张存在不当影响的一方举证。
In practice undue influence is difficult to prove, and the burden generally falls on the person alleging it.
📋 欺诈与形式缺陷
📋 Fraud and formal defects
此外，欺诈和不符合法定形式，也可能成为挑战的理由。
Fraud and defective formalities can also be grounds for challenge.
遗嘱通常要求书面、由立遗嘱人签名，并有两名见证人在场见证，其中一名需符合特殊见证人的要求。
A will generally must be in writing, signed by the will-maker and witnessed by two witnesses — and, where signed electronically, one must be a special witness.
三、哪些情形最容易被质疑
3. Which situations most often draw challenges
🚩 常见的”可疑情形”
🚩 Common “suspicious circumstances”
- 遗嘱在立遗嘱人去世前不久发生了重大变化。
A significant change to the will shortly before death. - 从中受益的人参与了遗嘱的准备。
A person who benefits from the will was involved in its preparation. - 没有明显原因地改变一贯的分配方向，例如无故排除某个子女。
An unexplained change of direction — for example a child left out for no apparent reason. - 立遗嘱人本身存在健康或认知方面的问题。
The will-maker has health or cognitive concerns. - 实践中，如果立遗嘱人语言不通，而受益人又是唯一的翻译，也容易引发质疑。
In practice, where the will-maker doesn’t speak English and the beneficiary acts as the only interpreter, that too can invite challenge.
⚠️ 这些不等于遗嘱一定无效
⚠️ These don’t make a will invalid
它们只会让法院更仔细地审查，是否可疑、是否能被证据打消，要看具体案情。
They only mean the Court will look more closely — whether the circumstances are suspicious, and whether the evidence dispels the suspicion, depends on the facts.
四、常见的保护做法
4. Common protective practices
🛡️ 以下是执业中常见的做法，不是法定要求
🛡️ These are common practices, not statutory requirements
- 让父母单独与律师面谈，由律师直接获取指示，受益人不在场，也不转达指示。
- Have the parent meet the lawyer alone, with the lawyer taking instructions directly — beneficiaries not present and not relaying instructions.
- 有健康或认知疑虑时，考虑在签署前后取得医生对立遗嘱能力的评估。
- Where there are health or cognitive concerns, consider a medical assessment of testamentary capacity around the time of signing.
- 由律师做详细的文件记录，包括谈话笔记和立遗嘱人表达的理由。
- Have the lawyer keep detailed file notes, including conversation notes and the will-maker’s stated reasons.
- 语言不通时，使用独立的翻译，而不是受益人。
- Where there’s a language barrier, use an independent interpreter rather than a beneficiary.
- 解释并记录分配的理由，尤其是与以往不同或不均等的分配，法院可以参考这些理由，但不受其约束。
- Explain and record the reasons for the distribution, especially where it differs from earlier wills or is unequal — the Court may consider them but isn’t bound by them.
- 见证人不应是遗嘱的受益人。
- Witnesses should not be beneficiaries.
- 保存好以前的遗嘱和相关的文件。
- Keep earlier wills and related documents.
具体怎么应对，需要结合父母的健康、家庭关系和资产情况来设计。
How to apply these depends on your parents’ health, family relationships and assets.
五、挑战成功会怎样
5. If a challenge succeeds
🔄 回到更早的遗嘱，或按无遗嘱继承处理
🔄 Reverting to an earlier will, or intestacy
成功的有效性挑战，可能使遗产回到更早的遗嘱，或在没有更早的遗嘱时，按无遗嘱继承的规则分配。
A successful validity challenge can send the estate back to an earlier will or, where there is none, to the intestacy rules.
这也是为什么保存好以前的遗嘱，以及了解它们的内容，同样重要。
That’s why keeping earlier wills, and knowing what they say, matters too.
六、时限与程序
6. Time limits and procedure
🏛️ 在最高法院提出
🏛️ Brought in the Supreme Court
在维州，挑战遗嘱有效性的案件在维州最高法院提出。
In Victoria, challenges to the validity of a will are brought in the Supreme Court of Victoria.
⏰ 没有统一的法定时限
⏰ No single statutory time limit
与家庭供养申请的六个月不同，挑战遗嘱有效性没有统一的法定时限。
Unlike the six months for family provision claims, there’s no single statutory time limit for challenging validity.
但实际上，遗产认证之后，执行人就可以开始分配遗产，所以越早处理越好。
In practice, once probate is granted the executor can begin distributing the estate, so the sooner it’s dealt with the better.
💰 费用由法院酌情决定
💰 Costs are in the Court’s discretion
案件费用由法院酌情决定，大多数争议会在开庭前通过协商或调解处理。
Costs are at the Court’s discretion, and most disputes are resolved before trial through negotiation or mediation.
七、哪些情况建议尽早咨询
7. When to get advice early
- 你正在帮年迈的父母安排或更新遗嘱。
You are helping elderly parents arrange or update a will. - 父母想把更多财产留给某个孩子或照顾者。
Your parents want to leave more to one child or a carer. - 父母的健康或认知有疑虑。
There are concerns about your parents’ health or cognition. - 家庭成员之间已经出现分歧。
There are already disagreements among family members. - 父母需要翻译，或主要使用中文沟通。
Your parents need an interpreter or mainly communicate in Chinese. - 你是执行人，担心现有的遗嘱被质疑。
You are an executor worried that an existing will may be challenged. - 遗嘱能不能站得住，往往取决于它是怎么做出来的，我们可以协助你把整个过程安排得更稳妥。
Whether a will stands up often depends on how it was made — we can help you structure the process so it’s more secure. - 本文为一般性法律信息，不构成针对个人情况的法律意见。
This article is general legal information and does not constitute advice on your individual circumstances.
❓常见问题 FAQ
子女陪父母去律师那里，遗嘱会无效吗？
If I accompany my parent to the lawyer, will the will be invalid?
陪同本身不会让遗嘱无效。关键在于受益人有没有参与遗嘱的准备，以及父母是否真正理解并认可内容；律师直接获取父母的指示很重要。
Accompanying them doesn’t in itself invalidate the will. What matters is whether a beneficiary was involved in preparing it, and whether your parent genuinely understood and approved its contents — which is why the lawyer taking instructions directly is important.
父母有轻度认知问题，还能立遗嘱吗？
Can a parent with mild cognitive issues still make a will?
关键是立遗嘱当时是否具备立遗嘱能力，而不是诊断本身，可以考虑取得医生的评估。
The question is whether they had capacity at the time the will was made, not the diagnosis itself — a medical assessment can be considered.
挑战遗嘱的有效性有时限吗？
Is there a time limit to challenge a will’s validity?
没有统一的法定时限，但实际上遗产认证后遗产可能开始分配，越早处理越好。
There’s no single statutory time limit, but in practice the estate may start to be distributed after probate, so the sooner the better.
挑战成功会怎样？
What happens if a challenge succeeds?
可能恢复到更早的遗嘱，或按无遗嘱继承的规则处理。
The estate may revert to an earlier will, or to the intestacy rules.
在遗嘱里写明理由，能防止被质疑吗？
Can stating reasons in the will prevent a challenge?
不能保证。理由可以作为证据被法院参考，但不约束法院，也不能替代对整个过程的妥善安排。
There’s no guarantee. Reasons can be considered as evidence but don’t bind the Court, and they’re no substitute for a properly structured process.
这和家庭供养申请有什么区别？
How is this different from a family provision claim?
有效性挑战问”这份遗嘱算不算数”，家庭供养申请承认遗嘱有效，只问”分得够不够”，两者的理由、时限和后果都不同。
A validity challenge asks whether the will counts at all, while a family provision claim accepts it is valid and asks only whether it provides enough — the grounds, time limits and consequences differ.
如果你正在帮父母办遗嘱，或担心现有遗嘱日后被质疑，欢迎联系HWC Legal做详细评估。
If you are arranging a will for your parents, or worried an existing will may later be challenged, contact HWC Legal for a detailed assessment.
📞 0402 672 808
📧 info@hwclegal.com
💬 WeChat: wanwuim2021
🌐 hwclegal.com
参考资料：Wills Act 1997 (Vic)；维多利亚州最高法院关于遗嘱纠纷的公开资料；Banks v Goodfellow (1870) LR 5 QB 549
Reference: Wills Act 1997 (Vic); published materials of the Supreme Court of Victoria on will disputes; Banks v Goodfellow (1870) LR 5 QB 549
