Polson and Polson (No 2)

This matter came before Hogan J concerning the parenting arrangements for three children, D, B, and E. The dispute involved the father and mother's respective roles and responsibilities in the children's lives, including their living arrangements, parental responsibility for long-term decisions, and time spent with each parent.

The court was required to determine the specific orders regarding the children's residence, the allocation of parental responsibility for major long-term issues such as education, religious and cultural upbringing, and health, and the division of daily decision-making. Furthermore, the court needed to establish a detailed schedule for the children's time with the father, including specific arrangements for contact centres, school day changeovers, and holiday periods, as well as provisions for communication between parents and children.

By consent, the court ordered that the children live with the mother and that both parents share equal parental responsibility for major long-term issues. The father and mother were each granted responsibility for daily decisions concerning the children's care while they are in their respective care. A comprehensive schedule was set out detailing the children's time with the father, commencing with supervised contact and gradually increasing to overnight stays and significant portions of school holidays. The orders also included provisions for communication between parents and children, restrictions on enrolling children in activities without consent, prohibitions against denigrating the other parent, and requirements for attending parenting programs. The Independent Children's Lawyer was discharged, and all outstanding applications were dismissed.