Lewis and Lewis (No 2)

In *Lewis and Lewis (No 2)*, Johns J of the Family Court of Australia considered parenting orders concerning four children. The dispute involved the father's alleged attempts to remove the children from the State of Victoria and potentially from Australia, leading to significant orders aimed at protecting the children's welfare and ensuring their presence within the jurisdiction.

The court was required to determine the appropriate parenting arrangements for the children, including who would have parental responsibility and where the children would live. Furthermore, the court had to consider whether to restrain the father from removing the children from Victoria and from Australia, and whether to grant the mother's application to change the children's surnames. The court also had to address the father's absence from the proceedings and the lack of disclosure regarding his residential arrangements and proposed contact arrangements.

Johns J discharged all previous parenting orders and granted the mother sole parental responsibility, ordering that the children live with her. The father was restrained from removing the children from the State of Victoria and from the Commonwealth of Australia, with the Australian Federal Police requested to place the children's names on the Airport Watch List. The court also granted the mother leave to apply for an order to change the children's surnames from "Lewis" to "Rizzo," with a stay on this order for two months. The court noted that neither party had undergone the recommended psychiatric assessments and that the father had not disclosed his residential arrangements or proposed contact arrangements.