PHU & CHAN (No.3)

In the matter of PHU & CHAN (No.3), Judge Scarlett of the Family Court of Australia considered allegations of contravention of parenting orders. The respondent denied the contraventions and asserted a defence of reasonable excuse. The proceedings also involved disruptive behaviour by the applicant during the hearing, which led to limitations on further cross-examination and submissions.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the respondent had established a reasonable excuse for any contraventions of the parenting orders that may have been proven. The court also had to consider the impact of the applicant's disruptive conduct on the conduct of the proceedings and the ability to present further evidence or arguments.

Judge Scarlett found that the respondent had successfully demonstrated a reasonable excuse in relation to Counts 1 and 2 of the Application-Contravention. Furthermore, Counts 6 and 7 of the same application were dismissed. Consequently, the entirety of the Application-Contravention filed on 21 October 2014 was dismissed by the court.