Green and Townsend

This matter concerned parenting orders in the Family Court of Australia, with Foster J presiding. The dispute involved the parents of two children, B and C, and the court was required to make orders regarding their future care and contact arrangements. The proceedings also involved the Department of Family and Community Services, from whom leave was granted to file and serve a subpoena on short notice.

The court was tasked with determining the appropriate parenting arrangements for the children, including issues of parental responsibility, living arrangements, and the nature and supervision of contact between the father and the children. Additionally, the court considered the mother's ability to travel internationally with the children and to obtain passports for them without the father's consent. The court also addressed the need to protect the children from parental conflict and to ensure their well-being during the transition.

Foster J made significant orders suspending previous parenting orders, save for specific exceptions, and granting the mother sole parental responsibility for both children. The children were ordered to live with the mother. Contact between the father and the children was to be supervised by an approved contact centre, with the father required to attend an assessment and comply with the centre's requirements, including payment for supervision. The father was also restrained from approaching or contacting the children except as provided by the orders, and both parents were prohibited from discussing the proceedings in the children's presence or criticising each other to them. The mother was authorised to travel internationally with the children and to obtain passports for them without the father's consent. The matter was adjourned for further directions.