Aldridge and Mazzotti (No. 2)

In the matter of *Aldridge and Mazzotti (No. 2)*, Faulks DCJ of the Federal Magistrates Court of Australia determined issues concerning the parental responsibility and living arrangements for a child, E, born in October 2003. The dispute involved the child's mother, Ms Aldridge, and her father, Mr Mazzotti.

The court was required to determine who should have sole parental responsibility for E, where E would live, and the extent of contact, if any, E would have with her father. Additionally, the court considered provisions for the father's ongoing involvement in E's life, including notification of her address and schooling, and the father's ability to send letters, cards, and gifts. The court also addressed the father's application to change E's surname and made orders regarding the prevention of E's removal from Australia.

Faulks DCJ ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility for E and that E live with her. The court further ordered that E would not spend any time with her father unless the parents otherwise agreed. Specific provisions were made for the mother to keep the father informed of E's address, schooling, and significant medical issues, and to facilitate the delivery of correspondence and gifts from the father. The mother was restrained from removing E from Australia without the father's consent or a court order, with passports to be retained by the Registrar and stringent measures implemented to prevent E's international travel, including notification to the Australian Federal Police and placement on an airport watch list. The court also ordered that E be known by the surname Mazzotti Aldridge, discharging a previous order that she be known solely as Aldridge.