GIUNTA & GIUNTA

In the matter of *Giunta & Giunta*, heard in the District Court, the parties were the husband and wife. The dispute concerned the disclosure of a report prepared by Dr B, dated 18 May 2020, within family law proceedings.

The primary legal issue before the Court was to determine the appropriate recipients of Dr B's report, balancing the need for disclosure to relevant parties with the protection of sensitive information. The Court was also required to consider the terms under which the report could be released and to whom.

McClelland DCJ applied rule 15.04 of the *Family Law Rules 2004* (Cth) to regulate the dissemination of the report. The Court ordered that copies of the report could be provided to the parties themselves, their legal representatives, any lawyer appointed to represent the child/ren under s 68L of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth), and, under specific conditions, to employees of a legal aid body providing financial assistance to a party. Crucially, the Court also imposed a restriction, stipulating that the report could not be released or accessed by any other person without the Court's express permission. The matter was subsequently adjourned for a five-day hearing commencing on 9 November 2020. Additionally, the wife provided an undertaking to facilitate the application for reduced mortgage repayments on the former matrimonial home.