CERROS & WALDING

In the matter of *Cerros & Walding*, heard by Judge Terry, the dispute concerned parenting orders for a child born in 2015. The court was required to determine the best interests of the child, specifically regarding equal shared parental responsibility, the child's living arrangements, and the time the child would spend with each parent. The court also considered issues of family violence, the parents' respective roles in the child's life, and the practicalities of implementing parenting arrangements, including changeovers and communication.

The court's reasoning focused on the paramount consideration of the child's benefit from a meaningful relationship with both parents, balanced against the need to protect the child from harm. Judge Terry found that both parents were intelligent and well-educated, but noted that the mother had engaged in "gatekeeping" regarding the father's time with the child, significantly limiting his contact for a period. The court also addressed allegations of family violence, finding that while the father had pushed the mother, it was a reaction to a perceived threat to his daughter and did not constitute family violence intended to control or coerce. The court was critical of the mother's past behaviour, including text messages suggesting the father had abandoned the child and threats regarding an unborn child, which indicated a reluctance to foster the father's relationship with the child. The father's efforts to spend time with the child, despite practical difficulties arising from the parents' geographical distance and the mother's previous restrictions, were acknowledged.

The court ordered the discharge of all previous parenting orders. It established equal shared parental responsibility for the child, with the child to live with the mother. Specific, detailed arrangements were set out for the child to spend time with the father, with provisions for different stages of the child's schooling and for special occasions such as birthdays, Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Christmas. The orders also included provisions for communication, changeovers, and the child's name change to "Cerros-Walding," authorising the father to apply for the name change. Each parent was granted the right to receive information from the child's school or day care and to attend school events. Provisions were also made for passport applications and international travel, with notice requirements for the non-travelling parent.