Kerford and Lawton

This matter concerned orders made by consent between Kerford and Lawton regarding their child, X. The primary dispute revolved around the arrangements for X's living arrangements, time spent with each parent, and parental responsibility.

The court was required to determine the specific terms of the parenting orders, including the division of school terms and holidays, special days, communication protocols, and measures to ensure the child's well-being and the parents' ability to co-parent effectively. This included addressing issues of parental responsibility, travel, and the prevention of denigration between the parents.

The court made orders by consent, reflecting an agreement between the parties on how their parental responsibilities would be managed. These orders established a week-about living arrangement during school terms, with changeovers at the child's school. Equal shared parental responsibility was ordered, and school holidays were to be divided equally, with specific arrangements for Christmas and other significant days. The orders also included provisions for communication, interstate travel, and importantly, injunctions restraining each parent from denigrating the other, and specific counselling and program attendance for the father and the child. The court also stipulated that the particulars of the obligations and consequences of contravention were set out in an attached Annexure A, forming part of the orders pursuant to sections 65DA(2) and 62B of the Family Law Act.