McQuinn and Shure

In *McQuinn and Shure*, the applicants sought orders concerning the parental responsibility and living arrangements for a child born in August 2006. The court was asked to determine the best interests of the child in relation to these arrangements and to consider an application for adoption.

The primary legal issues before the court were whether to grant equal shared parental responsibility for both long-term and day-to-day matters concerning the child's care, welfare, and development, and whether the child should live with the applicants. Additionally, the court had to consider whether to grant leave for proceedings to be commenced for the adoption of the child by the first-named applicant, pursuant to section 60G(1) of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth).

The court reasoned that granting equal shared parental responsibility and ordering that the child live with the applicants was in the child's best interests. This decision facilitated the applicants' ability to liaise with and provide direction to educational and medical professionals on behalf of the child. Furthermore, the court determined that it was in the child's best interests to grant leave for adoption proceedings to commence.