Firmer and Britton

In *Firmer and Britton*, Kent J of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia considered a dispute between an applicant wife and a respondent husband concerning costs orders.

The primary legal issue before the court was the allocation of costs following proceedings, specifically whether the respondent husband should be ordered to pay the applicant wife's costs on a party and party basis, and how the costs of the current application should be treated.

Kent J ordered that the respondent husband pay the applicant wife's costs of and incidental to the proceedings on a party and party basis, with such costs to be agreed or otherwise assessed. However, the parties were to bear their own costs in relation to the current application. These orders specifically excluded costs already dealt with by previous court orders, including those related to contravention proceedings.