KAVANAGH & KAVANAGH

In the matter of *Kavanagh & Kavanagh*, heard before Forrest J, the parties sought leave to reopen a trial concerning parenting orders. The dispute arose following the father's recent charges for criminal offences related to the possession of child sexual exploitation material, which occurred after the initial trial had concluded.

The central legal issues before the court were whether it was necessary in the interests of justice and the best interests of the children to reopen the case, and whether the father should be permitted to have supervised contact with the children. These issues were complicated by the father's lack of contact with the children for approximately one year and a specific condition in his signed bail undertaking that prohibited contact with any person under the age of 17 years.

Forrest J reasoned that the new criminal charges against the father were of such gravity that they fundamentally altered the circumstances relevant to the children's best interests and the overall interests of justice. The court considered that the father's bail undertaking, which expressly prevented contact with minors, was a significant factor that weighed against any grant of supervised contact. Consequently, the court granted leave to reopen the trial and ordered that the parties' legal representatives be provided with copies of the subpoena material received from the Queensland Police Service.