Ellison and Mallick

In the matter of *Ellison and Mallick*, Hannam J of the Family Court of Australia considered an appeal concerning orders made for the time the children would spend with their mother. The dispute centred on the terms and conditions under which the mother would have contact with her three children, X, Y, and Z.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the previous orders made by the Family Court on 3 August 2018 should be discharged and, if so, what new orders regarding the children's time with the mother were appropriate. This involved determining the conditions for supervised contact, including the duration, location, supervision agency, and the mother's ability to bring other individuals during these periods.

Hannam J reasoned that the existing orders should be discharged and made new orders that permitted the mother to spend up to three hours per week with the children, commencing from 28 October 2019. This time was to be at the discretion of the Secretary's delegates and subject to the availability of a professional supervising agency. Crucially, the mother was restrained from bringing any other person to these contact sessions without written consent, with the exception of the children's maternal half-siblings, D and E. The court also directed the Independent Children's Lawyer to facilitate a conference between legal representatives and granted liberty to forward consent orders if the proceedings were resolved. The father was ordered to file an address for service.