PARDOE & FILLIPE

In *Pardoe & Fillipe*, heard by Judge Brown, the dispute concerned interim parenting arrangements for a nine-year-old child whose parents had been separated for many years. The child resided with the mother in Adelaide, while the father lived in Perth. The father sought a change in the child's living arrangements, citing the mother's history of two episodes of mental illness.

The court was required to determine whether to grant the father's application for a change in the child's interim living arrangements. This involved assessing the risks associated with the current arrangements, considering the paramountcy of the child's best interests, and understanding the nature and limitations of an interim hearing in family law matters.

Judge Brown dismissed the interim application. The reasoning likely focused on the high threshold for altering established living arrangements at an interim stage, particularly when the child had been living with the mother for an extended period. The court would have weighed the father's concerns against the potential disruption to the child's life and stability, applying principles related to the child's best interests and the assessment of risk in interim parenting disputes.

The matter was adjourned for further consideration, with directions to be given on 23 June 2020. This future hearing was intended to address mid-year school holiday arrangements and, if the dispute remained unresolved, to schedule a further final hearing.