HAMILTON & LOGAN

This matter concerned an application before Johns J of the Family Court of Australia regarding the time spent by a child, F, with their mother, Ms Hamilton. The dispute revolved around the terms of contact between the child and the mother, with previous orders requiring supervised time.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether to discharge the existing supervised contact orders and, if so, to establish new arrangements for the child to spend time with the mother. The court was also required to consider the provision of legal representation for the mother.

Johns J discharged all previous orders requiring supervised time between the child F and the mother. The court then made new orders for the child to spend time with the mother, commencing with a specific weekend in August 2014 and continuing on alternate weekends thereafter, including school holidays. The court also stipulated that changeovers were to occur at the child's school unless otherwise agreed. Furthermore, the court ordered that particulars of the obligations and potential consequences of contravening these orders be set out in a fact sheet, and that the Registrar forward a letter to the Victorian Bar Family Law Pro Bono Scheme requesting representation for the mother at the final hearing.