Krill and Crawley and Anor (No. 2)

In the matter of *Krill and Crawley and Anor (No. 2)*, Strickland J of the Family Court of Australia considered an application concerning supervised contact arrangements and associated costs. The dispute involved the mother, the applicant maternal grandmother, and the children, with the Independent Children’s Lawyer playing a role in facilitating contact.

The court was required to determine the extent and timing of additional supervised contact sessions for the children during December 2008 and January 2009, and to allocate the costs associated with these sessions. Further, the court needed to establish a payment mechanism for the grandmother and set deadlines for the filing and service of various affidavits of evidence, including reports from medical and counselling professionals.

Strickland J ordered that additional supervised contact sessions be held at the Anglicare Contact Centre during December 2008 and January 2009, with the times to be arranged by the Independent Children’s Lawyer. The mother was ordered to bear the costs of these additional sessions and to authorise her solicitors to pay $240.00 to the applicant maternal grandmother from funds held in trust, in four equal instalments prior to each session. Strict deadlines were imposed for the filing and service of the grandmother's affidavit of evidence in chief and the mother's affidavit of evidence in chief, along with several supporting reports. The matter was adjourned part-heard to a continuation hearing scheduled for 27 January 2009.