Kalant & Jordain (No. 6)

In the matter of *Kalant & Jordain (No. 6)*, the Mother sought an interim order from the court to suspend the time the child spent with the Father. The Mother alleged that the child had suffered harm while in the Father's care and that the child remained at further risk. The Father denied these allegations. The Mother contended that the suspension should remain in effect until investigations by the NSW police and Child Protection services were concluded.

The central legal issue before the court was whether it was in the child's best interests to suspend the current arrangements for time with the Father, given the Mother's allegations of harm and ongoing investigations. The court was required to balance the potential risk of harm to the child against the potential damage to the child's relationship with the Father that might result from suspending their time together.

Her Honour, Gill J, considered various factors in reaching her decision. The court noted that photographs showed the child appearing at ease in the Father's care, and the source of alleged bruising was unknown. Furthermore, the child's description of events was considered inherently unlikely. The court concluded that suspending time with the Father carried a significant risk of harm to the child and would likely damage the child's relationship with the Father. Consequently, the court found that it was not in the child's best interests to displace the existing arrangements for time with the Father.

The Mother's application for the suspension of time with the Father was dismissed.