Cassels and Jarratt

This matter concerned interim parenting orders made by Judge Altobelli in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. The proceedings involved a dispute between the Mother and the Father regarding their child, born in 2015. The core of the dispute revolved around the Father's time with the child, including the conditions and supervision required for that time, and the Mother's ability to travel overseas with the child.

The court was required to determine several key issues. These included whether the Mother should be permitted to remove the child from Australia for a period of approximately four weeks, and how the Father's interim time with the child should be structured and supervised. The court also had to consider the conditions under which the Father's time could transition from supervised to monitored, particularly in relation to drug and alcohol use, and the specific restrictions to be placed on the Father's contact with certain individuals and locations. Furthermore, the court needed to address communication protocols between the parents and the child's routine.

In reaching its decision, the court applied principles of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth), particularly concerning the best interests of the child. The court ordered that the Mother be at liberty to remove the child from Australia for a specified period. The Father's time with the child was significantly varied and ordered to be supervised by paternal family members, with a pathway to monitored time contingent on the Father undertaking CDT testing to demonstrate abstinence from alcohol. The court also imposed various restrictions on the Father, including prohibitions on alcohol and drug consumption, attending certain premises, and contact with specific individuals. The parents were also directed to use a specific communication app and to encourage positive parental language.

The court also made orders regarding the child's care on special occasions, the discharge of certain previous orders concerning the Mother, and the method of changeovers between parents. Finally, the matter was listed for a four-day final hearing commencing on 3 June 2019.