Maeraegh and Salter

The matter before the Honourable Justice Cronin concerned an application by the parties, Maeraegh and Salter, for an expedited first day of hearing. The dispute appears to relate to family law proceedings, specifically concerning the child F, born in March 2007.

The court was required to determine the procedural steps necessary to ensure the expeditious progression of the case towards trial. This included setting dates for the commencement of the hearing, pre-trial mentions, the filing and service of material by each party, and the completion of a family report. A key issue was also the separate representation of the child F.

Justice Cronin granted the application for an expedited hearing and made orders for the matter to be listed before the Honourable Justice Mushin. These orders established a timeline for the parties to file and serve their respective materials, attend a family report assessment with the child F, and for the family consultant to have access to the court file. Crucially, the court ordered that the child F be separately represented pursuant to s 68L(2) of the *Family Law Act 1975*, requesting Victoria Legal Aid to arrange this representation and directing the Independent Children’s Lawyer to be provided with all relevant documents within 48 hours of their appointment. Registrar Sikiotis was appointed to monitor the progress of the matter.