Director-General, Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women and Ponsford (No 2)

In the matter of *Director-General, Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women and Ponsford (No 2)*, Hogan J of the Family Court of Australia made final orders concerning the return of a child to New Zealand. The Director-General, Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women, as the applicant, sought orders for the child's return, while the respondent father, Mr Ponsford, was involved in the dispute regarding the child's location and custody.

The court was required to determine the appropriate orders to ensure the child's return to New Zealand, discharging all previous orders and issuing specific directions to facilitate this outcome. Key issues included the physical return of the child by a specified date, the restraint of the respondent father from removing the child from Australia or their current residence, and the management of passports and watchlist entries to prevent international travel by the father that could impede the child's return. The court also considered its power to make further orders to facilitate the child's return in accordance with its obligations under the Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Regulations 1986 (Cth).

Hogan J ordered the discharge of all previous orders and directed that the child, X, be returned to New Zealand on or before 24 November 2018. To effect this, the respondent father was restrained from removing the child from Australia or their Queensland residence. Passports were to be released for the child's return, with the father's passport to be released to him upon request. The Australian Federal Police were directed to retain the names of the father and child on the Family Law Watchlist, with provisions for their removal upon confirmation of travel arrangements. The court empowered various law enforcement agencies to take necessary steps to give effect to these orders and dismissed all other applications, granting liberty to the applicant to seek further orders as needed.