PETERS & VANCE

In the matter of PETERS & VANCE, Judge Scarlett of the Family Court of Australia made orders concerning the parenting arrangements for the child X. The dispute centred on the living arrangements and time spent between the child and each parent.

The court was required to determine the primary residence of the child, the allocation of parental responsibility, and the specific time the father would spend with the child. Additionally, the court needed to address practical matters such as changeover arrangements, the father's consumption of alcohol, the involvement of the father's family, and the child's travel arrangements. The court also considered communication protocols between the parents regarding the child's health and schooling, as well as injunctions to prevent negative interactions in the child's presence.

Judge Scarlett discharged all previous parenting orders and made new orders establishing that the child X would live with the Applicant Mother. The parties were granted equal shared parental responsibility. The court detailed a phased approach to the father's time with the child, commencing with supervised contact and progressing to unsupervised time at the father's residence, with specific provisions for holidays, birthdays, and other significant dates. The orders also included restrictions on the father's alcohol consumption during his time with the child, permitted the presence of the father's mother and brother during contact, and allowed the mother to take the child overseas for a holiday, suspending certain contact provisions during that period. Further orders addressed the provision of car seats, medical practitioner details, notification of illness, address changes, school communication, and the recording of the father's details on the child's birth certificate. An injunction was also imposed restraining both parties from using critical or offensive language in the child's presence. The matter was adjourned for a call-over.