BLESSINGTON & BLUNT

In the matter of *Blessington & Blunt*, heard before Thornton J, the applicant mother sought final orders on an undefended basis. The core of the dispute involved the mother's application to relocate interstate with the child and to be granted sole parental responsibility. This request stemmed from the breakdown of the parents' relationship and the father's prolonged absence from the child's life, having not spent regular and meaningful time with the child for several years.

The court was required to determine two primary legal issues. Firstly, whether it was in the best interests of the child to permit the mother to relocate interstate. Secondly, the court had to consider whether to grant the mother sole parental responsibility, given the father's lack of engagement with the child and the proceedings. A related procedural issue was whether the matter could proceed on an undefended basis, given the father's persistent failure to comply with court orders, attend court, and participate in the proceedings.

Thornton J found that procedural fairness had been afforded to the father, and as he had made no proposals or taken any steps in the proceedings, the application could be heard on an undefended basis. Regarding the substantive issues, the court was satisfied that it would not be in the best interests of the child for the parents to share equal parental responsibility. Consequently, the court granted the mother's application, permitting the relocation and awarding her sole parental responsibility for the child.