Pillai and Pillai

In the matter of *Pillai and Pillai*, heard before Judge Scarlett, the dispute concerned parenting orders for two children, [X] and [Y]. The applicant mother sought orders regarding the children's residence and parental responsibility, with the court ultimately making interim orders pending further assessment.

The primary legal issue before the court was to determine the interim parenting arrangements for the children, considering the existing orders and the need for further expert evaluation. The court was required to decide whether to suspend previous orders, grant sole parental responsibility to one parent, and establish the children's living arrangements. Additionally, the court needed to consider the role of a court-appointed expert in light of new evidence presented by the respondent father.

Judge Scarlett reasoned that it was necessary to suspend all previous parenting orders, except for specific consent orders made in 2010, to allow for a fresh assessment of the children's best interests. The court granted the applicant mother sole parental responsibility and ordered that the children live with her. To inform future decisions, the court directed that a court expert, Associate Professor Q, review the transcript of recent hearings and reconsider her previous recommendations in light of the respondent father's evidence. The court also mandated the preparation of a transcript for the expert's perusal and granted the parties leave to provide the expert's reports to a family support organisation involved in the children's treatment.