DOYLE & DOYLE

This matter concerned parenting orders made by Judge Riley in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. The dispute involved the parents of two children, [X] and [Y], born in 2011, regarding arrangements for their care and time spent with each parent.

The court was required to determine the terms of parenting orders that would best serve the interests of the children. This included establishing the nature of parental responsibility, the living arrangements for the children, the specific times the children would spend with each parent, and various ancillary orders designed to promote the children's welfare and facilitate co-parenting.

The court made orders by consent and by judicial determination. It ordered that the parents have equal shared parental responsibility for the children, who would live with their mother. The orders detailed a complex schedule for the children's time with their father, including alternate week arrangements and specific provisions for holidays and special days. Crucially, the court also imposed significant restraints on both parents, prohibiting them from denigrating the other parent or discussing the proceedings in the children's presence, and restricting substance use prior to and during time with the children. Further orders mandated communication protocols regarding the children's health and education, and required the parents to attend a post-separation parenting program and engage in mediation. The court also ordered that neither parent relocate their residence further from the other's current residence.