Gordon and Murphy

The case of Gordon and Murphy involved an application by the wife concerning the children of the marriage and financial matters. The dispute arose in the context of family law proceedings, with the orders being made by Dessau J.

The court was required to determine interim arrangements for the children, including their living arrangements, the husband's time with them, and measures to prevent their removal from Australia. Additionally, the court had to address the wife's interim occupation of the family home and a motor vehicle, as well as the husband's financial obligations, including spousal maintenance, mortgage payments, rates, school fees, medical expenses, and life insurance. The court also considered the husband's disclosure obligations regarding financial transactions and documents.

Dessau J ordered that the children live with the wife and that the husband spend time with and communicate with them by agreement. To safeguard the children, their passports were to remain with the wife, and the husband was restrained from removing them or the children from Australia, with the children to be placed on the Airport Watch List. The wife was granted sole use and occupation of the family home and a motor vehicle. The husband was ordered to pay $500 per week for spousal maintenance, the mortgage instalments on the family home, municipal rates, all private school and ancillary fees for one child, all medical and dental expenses for the children, and to maintain a life insurance policy with the wife and children as beneficiaries. The husband was also ordered to provide detailed affidavits regarding financial transactions exceeding $1,000 and to disclose discoverable documents within 28 days, with liberty for the wife to proceed on an undefended basis if he failed to comply. Further, if the husband had removed funds exceeding $5,000 from Australia, he was ordered to return them immediately to be held by the wife's legal practitioners. The further hearing of the wife's application was adjourned, costs were reserved, and liberty to apply was granted to the husband.