Barclay and Menzies and Ors

In the matter of *Barclay and Menzies and Ors*, Justice Austin of the Family Court of Australia considered applications concerning the parenting arrangements for four children: M Hoover, T Menzies, A Barclay, and F Barclay. The dispute involved the parents of these children and their respective responsibilities and living arrangements.

The court was required to determine the specific parenting orders for each child, including issues of equal shared parental responsibility, the children's living arrangements, and the extent of time each parent would spend with the children. Further, the court needed to address communication arrangements between parents and children, as well as between siblings, and to make orders regarding the children's schooling and the provision of counselling services.

Justice Austin made extensive orders discharging previous parenting arrangements and establishing new ones. For M, equal shared parental responsibility was ordered, with M to live with the applicant. For T, equal shared parental responsibility was ordered between the first respondent and the third respondent, with T to live alternately with each. For A and F, equal shared parental responsibility was ordered between the applicant and the first respondent, with A and F to live with the first respondent, but with specific provisions for time spent with the applicant and their sibling M. The orders also included detailed provisions for communication, school enrolments, and the appointment of counsellors for M and T, with the Independent Children's Lawyer to investigate and arrange these services. Restraints were placed on denigration, corporal punishment, and smoking in the presence of the children. Both the applicant and first respondent were ordered to complete a post-separation parenting program.