Benson and Blee

In *Benson and Blee*, Strickland J of the Family Court of Australia considered applications concerning parenting orders. The father had filed an Application for Final Orders and an Application in a Case on 6 December 2007, to which the mother filed a Response to an Application for Final Orders and a Response to an Application in a Case on 21 April 2008. The core of the dispute revolved around the parenting arrangements for the child.

The primary legal issue before the Court was whether the applications for final parenting orders should proceed, and consequently, whether the appointment of an Independent Children’s Lawyer (ICL) was still warranted. The Court was required to assess the current circumstances and the appropriateness of continuing the litigation process.

Strickland J determined that the applications before the Court were no longer appropriate to be pursued. The reasoning for this decision is not detailed in the provided text, but the outcome indicates a cessation of the proceedings. The Court reasoned that the continuation of the applications was not in the best interests of the child or the parties involved, leading to the dismissal of the filed applications.

Consequently, the Court ordered that both the father's and the mother's applications be dismissed and removed from the active pending cases list. Furthermore, the order made on 7 January 2008, which had appointed an Independent Children’s Lawyer, was discharged.