MUSSEN & DREW

This matter concerned an application by the Mother and the Father regarding the parenting arrangements for their child, [X], born in 2007. The dispute centred on the division of parental responsibilities and the time the child would spend with each parent. Judge Coker presided over the proceedings.

The court was required to determine the extent of equal shared parental responsibility for major long-term issues concerning the child, including education, religious and cultural upbringing, health, and name. Additionally, the court needed to establish the practical arrangements for the child's day-to-day care, the specific time the child would spend with each parent, and the allocation of travel costs associated with these arrangements. The court also considered provisions for communication between the child and each parent, and prohibitions against denigration and substance abuse in the child's presence.

In its reasoning, the court ordered that the Mother and Father have equal shared parental responsibility for the child's major long-term issues, mandating consultation and a genuine effort to reach joint decisions. The court stipulated that the Mother would be responsible for the child's day-to-day care while the child was with her, and the Father would have the same responsibility when the child was with him. The child was ordered to live with the Mother in Townsville, with provisions for equal time with the Father on a week-about basis if the parents resided in the same locality, and specific arrangements for school holidays. The court also detailed the division of travel costs, requiring the parent with whom the child was to spend time to book and pay for the child's travel, and outlined requirements for notice of travel arrangements. Further orders included reasonable communication between the child and each parent, and prohibitions against denigration and substance abuse.