The Partner Visa is a Temporary Visa, which allows the applicant to live and work in Australia and it leads to Permanent Residency
The applicant must be in Australia to access this Visa.
This is a Two Stage Visa – 820/801.
The initial stage, the subclass 820, requires the applicant to be married, or have been in a De Facto relationship for at least 12 months, with an Australian Permanent Resident or Citizen, or eligible NZ Citizen.
Two years from the date of the application for the subclass 820 visa, the applicant is invited to submit evidence that the relationship is ongoing, to allow the Department of Home Affairs to grant the applicant with the Permanent Residency, through the application for the Subclass 801 visa.

The applicant must be outside of Australia to access this Visa.
This is a Two Stage Visa – 309/100.
The initial stage, the subclass 309, requires the applicant to be married, or have been in a De Facto relationship for at least 12 months, with an Australian Permanent Resident or Citizen, or eligible NZ Citizen.
An applicant must be outside of Australia for the temporary Subclass 309 visa to be granted, after which they can enter Australia
Similar to the onshore process outlined above, the applicant will initially be granted a Temporary Visa, and will be given the opportunity submit evidence that the relationship is continuing in order to obtain the permanent visa, the Subclass 100.
If you do not meet these requirements, but you are planning on marrying your partner, you might be eligible for a Prospective Marriage Visa (subclass 300).