Havre and Caumartin

In the matter of *Havre and Caumartin*, heard before Brown J of the Family Court of Australia, the dispute concerned parenting arrangements for a child, J, born in March 2008. The specific nature of the dispute leading to the court's intervention is not detailed, but the orders indicate it involved significant decisions regarding J's care, welfare, and development, including international travel and passport applications.

The court was required to determine the appropriate orders for J's parental responsibility, living arrangements, and the resolution of extant applications before the court. Implicitly, the court also considered the best interests of the child in making these determinations, a fundamental principle in family law.

Brown J ordered that J have equal shared parental responsibility for both Ms Havre and Ms Caumartin, granting them joint authority for all long-term and day-to-day decisions concerning J's care, welfare, and development, including passport applications and overseas travel. Furthermore, J was ordered to live with Ms Havre and Ms Caumartin. All other pending applications were dismissed, and the matter was removed from the list of matters awaiting finalisation. The court also directed that a Family Law Courts Fact Sheet, detailing obligations, consequences of contravention, and available assistance, be annexed to the orders, and that the reasons for judgment be transcribed and expedited.