RADA & GORNALL

In *Rada & Gornall*, the Family Court of Australia considered parenting and property settlement matters arising from a de facto relationship. The primary dispute concerned the best interests of the parties' three-year-old child, with the mother alleging family violence by the father. The court also addressed the division of property acquired during the de facto relationship.

The legal issues before the court included determining appropriate parenting orders, specifically regarding parental responsibility and the child's time with each parent, in light of the mother's allegations of family violence and the finding that the father had perpetrated such violence. The court was also required to determine the extent of each party's contributions to the relationship property and make an adjustment in favour of the mother, as agreed by the parties.

The court found that the father had perpetrated family violence and that the parents had no effective communication. Consequently, it was deemed appropriate for the mother to have sole parental responsibility for the child. The court ordered that the child spend supervised time with the father, with the supervision arrangements and duration progressively increasing over time. In relation to property, the court found that the father's contributions were 75 per cent and the mother's were 25 per cent. An adjustment of 15 per cent was made in favour of the mother, resulting in an overall division of property of 60 per cent to the father and 40 per cent to the mother. The father was ordered to pay a sum of $99,955 to the mother within 42 days, with provisions for sale of property if payment was not made.