Fawkner and Fawkner

In the matter of *Fawkner and Fawkner*, heard by Mushin J, the dispute concerned parenting orders for two children, J and O. The court's final orders indicate a significant shift in the children's living arrangements and parental responsibility.

The central legal issues before the court were the determination of the children's primary residence, the allocation of sole parental responsibility, and the conditions under which the husband might spend time or communicate with the children. The court also considered the husband's compliance with previous orders, specifically a requirement for psychiatric assessment.

Mushin J ordered the discharge of all existing parenting orders, granting the wife sole parental responsibility for both children and ordering that they live with her. Crucially, all questions regarding the husband spending time or communicating with the children were reserved. The husband was permitted to apply for such orders only after complying with a prior order requiring him to attend a psychiatric assessment. The husband was also ordered to pay costs to the wife and the Independent Children's Lawyer, with a stay of these costs for six months. All other extant applications were dismissed.