Colt and Kerry

This matter came before Barry J of the Family Court of Australia concerning an application by the Independent Children’s Lawyer, Doris Chan of Legal Aid Queensland. The dispute involved the potential disclosure of court documents to the Department of Child Safety and the filing of those documents in separate Children’s Court proceedings.

The primary legal issues before the court were whether to grant leave for the Independent Children’s Lawyer to publish specific documents filed in the Family Court to the Department of Child Safety, and whether to grant leave to file those same documents in proceedings before the Children’s Court at Toowoomba. The documents in question included family reports, affidavits, and a psychiatric assessment.

Barry J granted leave for the Independent Children’s Lawyer to publish the specified documents to the Department of Child Safety. Furthermore, leave was granted to file these same documents in the Children’s Court proceedings at Toowoomba, where the Department of Child Safety was the applicant and the respondent parents were involved.