JCVB & SKK

The Full Court of the Family Court of Australia, comprising Holden, Coleman, and May JJ, considered an appeal concerning parenting orders made in the Federal Circuit Court. The dispute involved the parents' disagreement over the children's living arrangements and the extent of each parent's time with the children. The primary judge had made orders that were challenged by one of the parents.

The central legal issues before the Full Court were whether the primary judge had erred in their assessment of the evidence regarding the children's best interests, and whether the orders made were demonstrably unjust or unreasonable in the circumstances. Specifically, the appeal questioned the weight given to certain factors in the primary judge's determination of the parenting arrangements.

The Full Court analysed the evidence presented at trial and the primary judge's reasons for decision. Their Honours affirmed the principles governing parenting orders, emphasising the paramountcy of the children's best interests and the statutory considerations outlined in the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth). The Court found no error in the primary judge's application of these principles, concluding that the decision was open to the primary judge on the evidence.

Consequently, the Full Court dismissed the appeal and affirmed the parenting orders made by the Federal Circuit Court.