To answer some questions and clarify some things that have been mentioned today, a conviction for the crime of perjury in QLD does carry a maximum sentence of 14 years but I expect that this would be a very rare sentence if it has ever been imposed by a QLD court and I suspect not. But still a very serious penalty can be imposed.
The fifth amendment to the United States Constitution does not say explicitly that you have the right to remain silent. It does say that you do not have to be a witness against yourself. This means that you cannot be compelled to reveal information that might implicate you in a crime. It is not about spouses testifying against each other.
In Australian law, both the common law privilege of confidentiality between married people and the privilege of spouses not to testify against each other were assumed to have been part of our common law, that is our law inherited from England that had not been changed by legislation. However in late
2011, in a case against a wife bought by the Australian Crime Commission seeking testimony by her against her husband, the High Court of Australia decided that neither privilege existed in common law.
In Qld our Evidence Act is clear and states
EVIDENCE ACT 1977 - SECT 8
8 Witnesses in a criminal proceeding
(1) In a criminal proceeding, each person charged is competent to give evidence on behalf of the defence (whether that person is charged solely or jointly with any other person) but is not compellable to do so.
(2) The husband or wife of an accused person in a criminal proceeding is competent and compellable to give evidence in the proceeding in any court, either for the prosecution or for the defence, and without the consent of the accused.
(3) In a criminal proceeding, a husband or wife is competent and compellable to disclose communications made between the husband and the wife during the marriage.
See the attached link for more info on the limitations on spousal privilege in Aust and QLD
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/bus...ence-for-spouses/story-e6frg97x-1226210643949