BOSCO & SULLIVAN

This matter concerned parenting orders made by Dawe J in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia. The dispute involved the mother and father of a child born in 2008, with the court determining the arrangements for the child's residence and time spent with each parent.

The court was required to determine the specific terms of parental responsibility, the child's living arrangements, and the nature and supervision of the child's time with the father. This included establishing a phased approach to unsupervised time, outlining conditions for the progression of contact, and addressing communication and behavioural restrictions for both parents. The court also considered the need for therapeutic assistance for both parents and the role of the Independent Children's Lawyer.

Dawe J ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility and that the child live with her. The father's time with the child was to commence with supervised visits at a children's contact centre, progressing to supervised visits by the maternal grandfather, and eventually to unsupervised time. The court imposed significant injunctions on the father, restraining him from abusing the mother, physically disciplining the child, allowing contact with the paternal grandfather, using inappropriate language, or exposing the child to violent or obscene material. The mother was also restrained from changing the child's principal place of residence from the greater metropolitan area of Adelaide without the father's consent and was ordered to attend psychological therapy. The father was also ordered to continue therapeutic assistance focusing on impulse control and anger management. The Independent Children's Lawyer's appointment was to be discharged after a period of unsupervised time commenced.