EASTON & EASTON (No.3)

This matter concerned an application to vary existing parenting orders made by consent on 3 February 2014. The application was brought by one of the parents, and the court was required to determine the terms of interim parenting arrangements pending a final hearing. The court also considered directions for the interim hearing.

The primary legal issue before Judge Scarlett was how to vary the existing parenting orders to establish interim contact arrangements for the children. This involved determining specific times and days for the children to spend with each parent, as well as addressing practical aspects of contact changeovers. The court also had to consider the procedural requirements for the interim hearing, including the filing and service of affidavits.

In reaching its decision, the court varied the existing orders to provide a detailed schedule for the children's contact with the father. This schedule included specific times and days, with a phased approach to the contact arrangements. The court also varied an order concerning the method of changeovers, specifying a particular location for the father or his nominee to collect the children. Furthermore, the court made a new order prohibiting corporal punishment and set strict timelines for the filing and service of affidavits, limiting each witness to one affidavit of ten pages, excluding annexures, in accordance with section 51 of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999. The application was set down for an interim hearing on 17 August 2015.