MALAVE & RATCLIFFE (No.3)

In *Malave & Ratcliffe (No.3)*, Judge Riley of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia considered parenting orders concerning two children, X and Y. The dispute involved the arrangements for X and Y, with specific attention to Y's time spent with her mother and the mother's ability to communicate with Y.

The court was required to determine the specific terms of the parenting orders, including how Y would spend time with her mother, and whether the mother should be permitted to send letters, cards, and gifts to Y. Furthermore, the court needed to ensure that the obligations and consequences of contravening these orders were clearly articulated, as required by section 65DA(2) of the *Family Law Act 1975*.

Judge Riley made no orders in relation to X. For Y, the court ordered that Y spend time with her mother in accordance with Y's wishes, reflecting the child's autonomy in this matter. The mother was also granted liberty to send letters, cards, and gifts to Y. The court stipulated that the particulars of the obligations and potential consequences of contravening these orders, as well as information regarding support services, were to be set out in an attachment to the orders, pursuant to sections 65DA(2) and 62B of the *Family Law Act 1975*. The judgment also included a reminder of the confidentiality provisions under section 121 of the *Family Law Act 1975*.