Halley and Reece and Anor

In the matter of *Halley and Reece and Anor*, O'Reilly J of the Family Court of Australia considered a dispute between the parties concerning the welfare of their children. The proceedings involved consent orders made on 29 June 2009, which were subsequently varied by further orders on 19 August 2009.

The primary legal issue before the court was the continuation of supervised time between the mother and the children following an initial four-month period stipulated in the original consent orders. The court was required to determine whether this supervised time should continue and under what conditions, particularly in light of the children's wishes and the father's role in facilitating contact.

O'Reilly J's reasoning, as reflected in the orders, involved a modification of the original consent orders. The court ordered that supervised time with the mother would continue beyond the initial four months, effectively removing the time limitation. However, this continuation was made subject to a crucial proviso: the children, identified as W and R, would not be forced to spend time with the mother if they did not wish to do so. Notwithstanding this, the father was directed to encourage W and R to attend these supervised sessions. Additionally, the independent children's lawyer was discharged.