Harper & Harper

In the matter of *Harper & Harper*, Judge Harman of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia considered an application to set aside previous orders and an application for a change of venue. The dispute concerned financial matters within a family law proceeding.

The court was required to determine whether to set aside the orders made on 21 March 2016 and whether to grant the application for a change of venue. Additionally, the court needed to make directions regarding the valuation of a property, the disclosure of documents, and the future conduct of the proceedings.

Judge Harman set aside the previous orders pursuant to rule 16.05 of the Federal Circuit Court Rules 2001 and dismissed the application for a change of venue. The court then issued detailed directions for the parties to obtain valuation evidence for a specific property, requiring valuers to confer and produce a joint report if they could not agree on a value. Further orders mandated the wife to identify any documents she alleged had not been provided by the husband, and both parties were ordered to provide extensive financial documentation, including tax returns, superannuation details, bank and credit card statements, market appraisals, and any documents relevant to allegations made in affidavits or financial statements. The court also stipulated that any undisclosed documents would not be admitted into evidence. The matter was adjourned for further mention and directions.