Marvin and Whitney

This matter concerned an application by Mr Marvin and Ms Whitney regarding their child, W Marvin. The proceedings were before Coleman J in the Family Court of Australia.

The court was required to determine the parental responsibility for the child W Marvin and the time the child would spend with each parent. The orders indicate a phased approach to the allocation of parental responsibility and the nature of the time spent between the child and the father.

Coleman J ordered that all previous orders concerning the children T and L Whitney and W Marvin be discharged. The court made orders for the father to have sole parental responsibility for W Marvin, commencing on 1 March 2011, with a stay on this order until that date. Until 1 March 2011, the mother was to have sole parental responsibility. The court also detailed specific arrangements for the child to spend unsupervised time with the father, including weekly and weekend periods, with provisions for increased time during school holidays and a transition to alternate weekends. These arrangements were subject to agreement between the parents, with default times and locations specified. The court also made provision for the mother to spend time with the child on a similar basis to the father's time, commencing from 1 March 2011. Either party was granted liberty to apply to the Court after 1 January 2011.