LUI & ZOU

In the matter of *Lui & Zou*, Berman J of the Family Court of Australia considered an application concerning the interim parenting arrangements for a child born in 2015. The dispute involved the mother's opposition to the father having unsupervised time with the child, particularly in light of a history of family violence.

The central legal issue before the Court was whether the child should spend time with the father, and if so, under what conditions, given the mother's concerns about family violence and the existing arrangements involving significant supervision of visits. The Court was required to balance the child's right to maintain a meaningful relationship with both parents against the need to ensure the child's safety and well-being.

Berman J reasoned that while a history of family violence necessitated a cautious approach, the child and father had maintained a meaningful relationship, and significant supervision of visits had already occurred. The Court determined that supervised time with the father was appropriate on an interim basis, with a phased approach to increasing the duration of these visits. The Court ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility and that the child live with her. The child was to spend time with the father through supervised Saturday visits, commencing with shorter durations and gradually extending. Handover arrangements were to be supervised by a Children’s Contact Service, with interim arrangements involving a Police Station handover until such services could be engaged.