Pickering and Saltmarsh

In the matter of *Pickering and Saltmarsh*, Dawe J of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia considered an application concerning the living arrangements and time spent between a child and their parents. The dispute centred on the arrangements for the child, D, born in 2007, and the terms under which the father would spend time with D.

The court was required to determine the primary residence of the child, the specific arrangements for the child to spend time with the father, and conditions relating to the mother's liberty to have another person present during handovers, with a specific exclusion. Furthermore, the court needed to address the need for an updated family assessment and the timing of such an assessment.

Dawe J ordered that the child D would live with the mother. The father was granted time with the child on alternate weekends, commencing on 14 June 2014, from 9:00 am Saturday to 5:00 pm Sunday. The mother was permitted to have another person accompany her at handovers, provided that person was not Mr C. The court also ordered that the parties, at their joint and equal expense, obtain and file an updated family assessment from Ms H, to be undertaken no earlier than three months from the date of the orders, if possible.