Department of Community Services and Medley & Ors

The proceedings before Rees J concerned a dispute involving the Department of Community Services and the parents and paternal grandmother of a child. The precise nature of the dispute is not detailed in the provided text, but the orders indicate it is a matter requiring a hearing of approximately four days and involves the filing of evidence and case outlines by the parties.

The court was required to determine the procedural steps necessary to bring the matter to a final hearing. This included setting timelines for the filing of evidence, the preparation of a document bundle by the Director-General, and the submission of case outlines and proposed orders by each party. The court also needed to schedule a readiness mention to ensure all parties were prepared for the upcoming hearing.

Rees J directed the List Clerk to allocate a hearing date as soon as possible, estimating four days for the proceedings. The mother, father, and paternal grandmother were each ordered to file and serve an affidavit of their evidence by 31 January 2014. A readiness mention was scheduled for 3 February 2014. Further, the Director-General was directed to file and serve a paginated bundle of documents fourteen days before the hearing, and each party was required to file a Case Outline, including a Minute of Order, seven days prior to the hearing.