Adley and Nambour

In the matter of *Adley and Nambour*, heard by Bennett J, the dispute concerned parenting arrangements for a child born in August 2001. The proceedings involved the child's mother and paternal grandmother.

The court was required to determine the nature of parental responsibility, where the child should live, the extent of time the child should spend with each party, arrangements for the child's schooling, and orders to prevent denigration of one party by the other in the child's presence. The court also needed to consider communication protocols between the parties and the independent children's lawyer, and the discharge of the independent children's lawyer.

Bennett J ordered that the mother and paternal grandmother have equal shared parental responsibility for the child. The child was to live with the mother and spend time with the paternal grandmother on alternate weekends, for half of all school holidays, and on other agreed occasions. Specific arrangements were made for the collection and return of the child during changeovers. The child was to be enrolled at S Catholic Primary School. The court also made orders restraining both the mother and paternal grandmother from denigrating each other to or in the presence of the child. The mother was ordered to keep the independent children's lawyer and the paternal grandmother informed of her residential address and contact telephone numbers. The independent children's lawyer was to be discharged within 14 days. The court also provided details of obligations, consequences of contravention, and assistance available for compliance with the parenting orders, as set out in an annexure. All applications were removed from the active pending cases list.