Palantine and Palantine

In the matter of Palantine and Palantine, the court was asked to determine interim arrangements concerning the children L, C, and E, and to provide directions for the future conduct of the proceedings. The dispute involved the parents' arrangements for the children's time with their father, and the court sought to ensure the children's welfare during this period.

The primary legal issues before the court were the appropriate interim contact arrangements for the children with their father, the conditions under which such contact should occur, and the measures necessary to support the children and facilitate the resolution of the proceedings. This included considerations regarding the involvement of other family members and the father's partner, as well as the role of a Family Consultant.

His Honour Faulks DCJ made several orders aimed at facilitating supervised contact and gathering further information. These included specific arrangements for the children to spend time with their father over a particular weekend, with conditions that the paternal grandmother remain present and the paternal grandfather and the father's partner be absent. The court also directed that neither parent discuss the proceedings with the children and ordered the assignment of a Family Consultant to engage with the children, explain the proceedings, and potentially provide oral feedback to the parents. Pre-existing telephone contact orders were suspended pending further determination.