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This matter concerned an application by the husband, which was dismissed by O'Reilly J in the Family Court of Australia. The wife's costs in relation to this application were reserved.

The central legal issue before the court was whether it possessed the inherent jurisdiction to correct a duly entered judgment where the orders made did not accurately reflect the court's intended pronouncements. This involved considering the scope of the inherent jurisdiction of superior courts, particularly in light of High Court authority.

O'Reilly J, referencing the joint judgment in *DJL v The Central Authority*, affirmed that superior courts, including the Family Court, possess inherent control over their processes and the jurisdiction to correct orders that do not truly represent what the court intended to pronounce. This inherent jurisdiction was distinguished from the "slip rule" and was found to be applicable even where a judgment had been passed and entered. The court determined that while the Family Court's jurisdiction is generally vested by Parliament, its status as a superior court grants it this inherent power. The judge found no ambiguity in order 37 of the existing orders, which were agreed between the parties. However, a question arose as to whether order 37 contained an error due to accidental omission or mistake concerning matters that had been in issue or incidental to the proceedings. The court examined the context of order 37, noting that a division date had been an issue, but concluded that no inevitable inference arose from the orders as a whole regarding a uniform division date or a specific date for the bank accounts mentioned in order 37.