PRESTON & IDRIS

This matter concerned parenting orders for two children, A and J, born in 2002 and 2003 respectively. The proceedings were before Cleary J. The dispute revolved around the arrangements for the children's care, upbringing, and time spent with each parent.

The court was required to determine the legal issues surrounding the children's parental responsibility, living arrangements, and the specific terms of time spent with each parent. This included establishing equal shared parental responsibility, defining the children's primary residence, and detailing the schedule for time spent with the non-resident parent during school terms, school holidays, and special occasions like Mother's Day and Father's Day. The court also had to address communication protocols between the parents, medical and educational decision-making, and measures to prevent the children's removal from Australia.

The orders were made by consent of the parties. The court discharged all prior parenting orders and established equal shared parental responsibility for the children. The children were ordered to live with the mother, with the father to spend time with them on alternate weekends during school terms, and specific arrangements for school holidays, including Christmas and Easter. The orders also stipulated detailed provisions for communication, including the use of a communication book and telephone contact, and mandated the use of a specific general practitioner. Furthermore, the court imposed restraints on the parents regarding denigration of each other and implemented measures to prevent the children's removal from Australia, including placement on the PACE Alert System and Airport Watch List.