Mannix and Mannix

In *Mannix and Mannix*, Baumann J considered applications concerning the future living arrangements and parental responsibilities for two children, Y and Z. The primary dispute involved the mother's desire to relocate with Z to Northern Ireland, and the father's opposition to this move. The court also addressed the arrangements for Y's departure from Australia.

The legal issues before the court included whether to permit Y to leave Australia to live in Northern Ireland, and what parental responsibility arrangements should apply to Z, particularly in light of the proposed relocation. The court was required to determine the conditions under which Z could relocate to Northern Ireland, including the recognition and enforceability of Australian court orders in that jurisdiction, and to establish specific time and communication arrangements between Z and the father, depending on the parents' respective residences.

Baumann J ordered that Y be permitted to leave Australia to live in Northern Ireland, with no further orders regarding Y. For Z, the court discharged previous orders and established new arrangements. Crucially, the mother was permitted to relocate Z to Northern Ireland, provided she first obtained a court order in Northern Ireland recognising and enforcing the Australian court's orders, and filed proof of this compliance with the Australian court. Until these conditions were met, the parties were restrained from moving Z beyond a specified radius in Queensland. The judgment also detailed extensive provisions for Z's time and communication with the father, varying based on the geographical distance between their residences, and included orders regarding the parents' conduct towards each other in Z's presence, school reports, medical information, and notification of addresses. The Independent Children's Lawyer was discharged upon the mother's compliance with the relocation conditions.