CORNETT & HEXT

In the matter of CORNETT & HEXT, Justice Williams of the Family Court of Australia considered orders relating to the care and time spent with three children. The dispute concerned the arrangements for the wife to spend time with the children, B, C, and D, who were born in 2011, 2013, and 2015 respectively.

The court was required to determine the terms of supervised contact between the wife and the children, including the frequency, duration, and supervision arrangements. It also had to consider provisions for the husband to suspend the wife's contact and alternative arrangements for contact in such circumstances, as well as the allocation of costs for the supervision.

Justice Williams ordered that previous orders made on 29 January 2019 and 28 June 2018 be discharged. The wife was to spend time with the children under the supervision of the R Contact Service, directed by Ms E, for four hours every Saturday at times to be agreed with Ms E, commencing after the conclusion of the term one 2019 school holidays. Additional contact could occur at other times as agreed by the parties and Ms E. The husband was granted liberty to suspend the wife's contact on one weekend every two months, provided 14 days' written notice was given. If the husband exercised this right, the wife's contact would occur on the Thursday of the preceding week from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM, also supervised. Both parties were directed to take all necessary steps to commence the supervised contact, and the husband was ordered to pay the costs of the supervision. All extant interim applications were dismissed.