Juliet and Ramsay (No 2)

In *Juliet and Ramsay (No 2)*, Dawe J of the Family Court of Australia considered an application by the father concerning final orders made ex parte regarding the parties' child. The father sought orders for the child to spend time with the mother at times to be agreed between the parties, contrasting with previous orders that provided for the mother to have regular supervised time with the child. The court noted concerns about the mother's compliance with prior orders and that the mother did not attend the hearing.

The primary legal issues before the court were whether the existing orders for joint parental responsibility should be continued, given the parties' difficult relationship and the best interests of the child, and what arrangements for the child spending time with the mother were appropriate. The court was required to determine if joint parental responsibility remained in the child's best interests and to establish a framework for the child's time with the mother, considering the mother's previous non-compliance.

Dawe J reasoned that continuing joint parental responsibility was not in the child's best interests due to the parties' strained relationship. Consequently, the court ordered that the father have sole parental responsibility for the child. Regarding the child spending time with the mother, the court discharged the previous order for supervised time and instead ordered that the mother would spend time with the child upon such times and conditions as shall be agreed between the parties, reflecting a shift from supervised contact to an agreed arrangement. All outstanding applications were dismissed, and the proceedings were removed from the Active Pending Cases List.