PARKS & COLLINS

This matter concerned an application by the Mother for parenting orders regarding the parties' child, [X]. The court was required to determine the appropriate arrangements for parental responsibility, living arrangements, and time spent between the child and the Father.

The court was asked to consider the specific issues of parental responsibility, where the child would live, and the nature and extent of the child's time with the Father. Additionally, the court needed to address communication protocols between the parents, restraints on the Father's behaviour, and specific requirements for the Father's engagement in parenting programs. The court also had to consider provisions for telephone communication, changeovers, and the Mother's authority regarding the child's travel and passport.

In its reasoning, the court made orders reflecting a phased approach to the Father's time with the child, commencing with supervised visits and gradually progressing to unsupervised time, contingent on the Father's compliance with specific conditions, including the completion of parenting courses. The court imposed restraints on the Father to protect the child from denigration and to ensure his sobriety during contact. Provisions were also made for communication between the parents, primarily via email, and for the Mother to have sole authority regarding the child's overseas travel and passport applications.

The court ordered that the Mother have sole parental responsibility for the child and that the child live with the Mother. The Father was granted specific, progressively unsupervised, periods of time with the child, subject to his completion of parenting courses and adherence to various conditions. The Mother was permitted to travel overseas with the child and to obtain passports without the Father's consent.