Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and Verrender

In the matter of *Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and Verrender*, Hogan J of the Family Court of Australia made orders concerning a child, B, and her mother, Ms Verrender. The Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services (the Applicant) sought orders to protect the child, B, from being removed from Australia and to prevent a change in her usual place of residence. The proceedings were initiated by an ex parte application.

The court was required to determine whether to grant interim injunctive relief to restrain the Respondent Mother from removing the child from Australia and from changing the child's usual day-to-day residence. The court also considered the appropriate measures to ensure compliance with any such orders, including the surrender of passports and the placement of the mother and child on a watch list.

Hogan J applied principles relating to the protection of children and the court's power to issue injunctions in family law matters. The court found it necessary to make orders restraining the Respondent Mother from removing the child from the Commonwealth of Australia and from changing the child's usual place of residence. To give effect to these orders, the court empowered law enforcement agencies to take necessary steps, ordered the surrender of the passports of both the Respondent Mother and the child, and directed their names be placed on the Family Law Watch List. The court also set timelines for the filing and service of further documents and listed the application for a hearing before Justice Carew.