A woman accused of fatally stabbing her long-term partner will walk from court after a judge found there were exceptional reasons to grant her bail.
Megan Solomon, 33, made the application in the Victorian Supreme Court after she was charged with the murder of her partner of 14 years, Leon Strickland.
It's alleged she stabbed Mr Strickland to the heart during an argument at their Orbost home in eastern Victoria on December 11.
She has pleaded not guilty, with the case listed for trial in Morwell in February 2027.
During her bail application, Solomon's lawyer Angie Wong accepted the allegations were serious and a guilty verdict would result in a lengthy prison sentence.
But she argued some factors outweighed those matters, including that Solomon was presumed innocent, it was her first time in custody and there were triable issues in the case.
Ms Wong also pointed to Solomon's Aboriginal background, arguing it was important she had culturally appropriate supports that were only available to her in the community.
"She has a deep connection to culture, Country and community," the barrister said.
"Her time in custody inevitably disrupts that connection."
Solomon also had available housing and employment with the Victorian Aboriginal Education Association, who were aware of the murder charge, Ms Wong said.
The lawyer argued her client was not a risk of endangering the community or interfering with witnesses, noting the allegations related to a very specific set of circumstances that could not be repeated.
In opposition, senior crown prosecutor David Glynn SC argued Solomon had not demonstrated any exceptional circumstances to be released on bail.
He accepted Solomon's status as an Aboriginal person was relevant but said it did not change her overall bail test, and she had access to culturally-appropriate supports in prison.
Supreme Court Justice Amanda Fox on Thursday found there were "genuinely unusual and out-of-the-ordinary reasons" to release Solomon on bail.
Those factors included Solomon's lack of any prior criminal history, her good character, extensive employment history and Aboriginality.
Justice Fox noted Solomon had a deep familial, spiritual and cultural connection to Country and the court needed to avoid compounding incarceration rates of Indigenous people.
The judge found Solomon did not pose a risk of endangering the safety of the community or interfering with witnesses.
Solomon was granted bail with conditions that include a ban from going to Orbost except to attend her father's home.
She will walk from the Supreme Court later on Thursday.
