Partos and Merritt

In *Partos and Merritt*, Forrest J considered an application to vary existing parenting orders and to address alleged contraventions of those orders. The dispute concerned the arrangements for a child's participation in extra-curricular activities and the communication between the child and each parent.

The court was required to determine whether to discharge and replace specific paragraphs of the parenting orders relating to the father's involvement in the child's extra-curricular activities and the methods and times for communication between the child and each parent. Additionally, the court had to consider whether the mother had contravened the existing communication orders and, if so, what compensatory measures were appropriate.

Forrest J reasoned that the existing orders needed modification to ensure clarity and practicality regarding the father's transport to the child's activities, requiring the mother to provide details of scheduled events upon written request. The court also revised the communication provisions to specify the times for calls, the use of video conferencing technology, and the facilitation of private conversations between the child and each parent. Crucially, the court found that the mother had contravened the communication orders, leading to the imposition of compensatory calls for the father.