Dallas and Dallas

In *Dallas and Dallas*, heard before Mushin J, the dispute concerned the care of a child, K, born in April 1998. The court was required to make orders regarding the child's return to the father's care and to facilitate future applications concerning the child's time spent with the mother.

The primary legal issue before the court was how to give effect to existing consent orders dated 2 December 2003, which mandated the child's return to the father's care. Additionally, the court needed to establish a framework for the mother to seek orders for time spent with the child, to be heard at a later sitting of the court.

Mushin J ordered that the consent orders of 2 December 2003 were to remain in full force. The parties were directed to take all reasonable steps to ensure the child K was returned to the father's care by 5:00 pm on Sunday, 7 February 2010. Further, all other applications were to be referred to the Registrar of the Townsville Registry for directions to prepare competing applications regarding the child's time with the mother, to be heard in April. General liberty to apply on short notice was reserved for both parties.