Director-General, Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services and Karp (No. 2)

The Director-General of the Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services applied to the court for orders concerning the return of a child, V, to New Zealand. The application was made against Ms Karp, the child's mother. The matter came before Kent J of the Family Court of Australia.

The court was required to determine the terms of the orders necessary to facilitate the child's return to New Zealand, including the timing of the return, injunctions to prevent the child's removal from Australia, and the management of passports and watch list entries. The court also considered the powers of various authorities to give effect to these orders.

The court made orders by consent of the parties. These orders stipulated that the child V was to be returned to New Zealand on or before 1 January 2015, arriving by 2 January 2015. The Respondent Mother was restrained from removing the child from a specified address or from the Commonwealth of Australia pending the return. The names of the mother and child were to remain on the Family Law Watch List at international departure points, with provisions for their removal upon confirmation of travel arrangements. The Marshal of the Family Court, the Australian Federal Police, and State and Territory police forces were empowered to take necessary steps to give effect to the orders. Passports were to be released to facilitate the child's return, and liberty to apply was granted to the applicant for further orders to ensure the child's return in accordance with the Central Authority's obligations under the Family Law (Child Abduction Convention) Regulations 1986.