Farnell and Farnell and Anor

In the matter of *Farnell and Farnell and Anor*, Rees J of the Family Court of Australia made orders concerning the living arrangements and parental responsibility for two children, X and Y. The dispute involved the parents and a second respondent, with the orders addressing how the children would live, who would have parental responsibility, and the nature of communication and information sharing between the parents and the children.

The court was required to determine the primary residence of the children, the extent of parental responsibility to be allocated to each parent, and the specific terms of communication and contact between the children and their father and paternal grandmother. The orders also addressed the mother's obligation to inform the father about the children's engagement with mental health professionals and to facilitate the father's receipt of school communications and notification of medical emergencies.

Rees J ordered that the children live with the mother and that she have sole parental responsibility, with the exception that she must inform the father of any mental health professionals engaged for the children. The court also stipulated that the father, the second respondent, and the paternal grandmother were to communicate with the children via email, letters, cards, and gifts without interference from the mother, and that the mother was to ensure such correspondence and gifts were passed on to the children. Furthermore, the mother was ordered to ensure the father received school notices and reports and to notify him of any medical emergencies involving the children. These obligations and the consequences of contravention were detailed in an attached Fact Sheet, incorporated into the orders pursuant to Sections 65DA(2) and 62B of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth).