Drudge and Pell and Anor

In these consolidated family law proceedings before Bennett J, the parties involved were Ms Drudge (Applicant Mother), Ms Pell (Respondent Maternal Grandmother), Ms Mitchell (Second Respondent Father), and Mr Scott (Third Respondent Father). The dispute concerned the welfare and living arrangements of three children: B, C, and D. The court was required to consolidate two sets of proceedings concerning children B and C, and to hear these together with separate proceedings concerning child D.

The central legal issues before the court involved determining the best interests of the children, particularly in light of the complex relationships between the parties. This included assessing the capacity of the Applicant Mother and the Respondent Maternal Grandmother to cooperate in parenting matters, understanding the dynamics of their relationship, and evaluating their respective attachment histories. The court also needed to consider the views of the children, the factors outlined in section 60CC of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth), and the parties' ability to cooperate on both day-to-day and long-term parenting issues.

To address these issues, Bennett J ordered a series of steps aimed at gathering comprehensive information. These included mandatory psychological assessments of Ms Drudge and Ms Pell, focusing on their inter-relationship and capacity to care for the children, and the preparation of a full family report by a Family Consultant. The court also directed that the assessment interviews for the family report would occur after the psychological assessments were published. The court reserved liberty to apply for further psychiatric or psychological assessments and allowed for the issuance of subpoenas for documents. The proceedings were ultimately allocated for a final hearing following the publication of the family report.