NIXON & NIXON

In the matter of Nixon & Nixon, Bennett J of the Family Court of Australia considered an application by the mother concerning the children of the marriage and a response filed by the father. The dispute involved the children's ability to obtain Australian passports and the father's request to place the children on a watch list.

The primary legal issues before the Court were whether the mother should be permitted to apply for Australian passports for the children without the father's signature, and whether the father's application to place the children on a watch list should be granted. The Court also had to determine the mother's entitlement to travel with one of the children for an overseas tour.

Bennett J granted the mother leave to apply for passports for the children, notwithstanding the father's refusal to sign the application forms. The Court ordered that the passports, once issued, be held by the Registry Manager for safekeeping, with specific provisions for the mother to use the passport of one child, N, to facilitate participation in an overseas tour. The father's application to place the children on a watch list was dismissed. The Court also dismissed the father's applications against ASIC, the ATO, and the AFP. The further hearing of the children's proceedings was scheduled for January 2016.