DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES AND JUSTICE & OSMOND

The Supreme Court of New South Wales, in a decision by Henderson J, considered a dispute between the Department of Communities and Justice (acting as the Central Authority) and the parents, Mr and Ms Osmond, concerning the return of their child, X, to New Zealand.

The court was required to determine the necessary arrangements for the child's return to New Zealand and to address the associated costs and administrative procedures, including the child's presence on the Family Law Watchlist.

Henderson J ordered that the Central Authority and the father, Mr Osmond, must make all necessary arrangements for the child X's prompt return to New Zealand. The mother, Ms Osmond, was ordered to bear the cost of the child's airfare. Furthermore, the Australian Federal Police were directed to remove the child's name from the Family Law Watchlist as soon as practicable, and the Central Authority was to provide a sealed copy of the orders to the Australian Federal Police.