COLES & COLES

In this matter before Henderson J, the court considered applications concerning both children's arrangements and spousal maintenance. The dispute involved a father seeking specific orders for time with his 15-year-old child, and the wife seeking spousal maintenance.

The primary legal issues before the court were whether to make specific orders for the father's time with the child, given the child's expressed wishes, and whether the wife was a spouse in need of spousal maintenance.

Regarding the child's arrangements, Henderson J noted the 15-year-old child's expressed wish not to have specific orders for time with the father. The court determined that the child's wishes should be respected in this regard, and consequently, no specific order for time with the father was made. In relation to spousal maintenance, the court found that the wife was a spouse in need and ordered that spousal maintenance be paid.

The husband was ordered to pay the wife $450 per week by way of spousal maintenance, pending further order. The court also noted the father's stated desire to spend time with the child on alternate weekends, for an evening meal, and during holidays.