Department Of Child Safety, Youth And Women and Brightman

The parties before the court were the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women (the Applicant) and Ms Brightman (the Respondent Mother). The dispute concerned the welfare of a child, X, born in 2018. The matter came before Hogan J of the Family Court of Australia.

The court was required to determine the immediate protective measures necessary for the child's welfare, specifically concerning her potential removal from Australia and any change to her usual place of residence. The court also needed to establish procedural directions for the upcoming hearing of the application.

By consent of the parties, the court issued several injunctions to safeguard the child. These included restraining the Respondent Mother from removing the child from the Commonwealth of Australia and from changing the child's usual day-to-day residence. The court directed law enforcement agencies, including the Australian Federal Police, to give effect to these orders and placed the names of the Respondent Mother and the child on the Family Law Watch List for two years. The Respondent Mother was also ordered to surrender all current passports relating to herself and the child. Further directions were made regarding the filing and service of documents by both parties and the notification of any requirements for interpreters or audio-visual equipment for the hearing. The court also set out procedures for cross-examination of witnesses, including the possibility of telephone appearances, subject to specific conditions.