Rani v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection

In the matter of *Rani v Minister for Immigration and Border Protection*, heard before Judge Altobelli, the dispute concerned parenting arrangements for four children. The core of the disagreement revolved around allegations of parental alienation by the mother and the father's alleged estrangement from the children, alongside considerations of family violence and the feasibility of identity contact versus no contact.

The court was required to determine the most appropriate parenting orders, specifically whether the mother should have sole parental responsibility, where the children should live, and the nature and extent of any contact between the children and their father. Further issues included whether the father should be subject to an injunction preventing certain behaviours and whether the mother should be restrained from leaving the children unattended with their maternal grandparents. The court also had to consider the costs of the Independent Children's Lawyer.

Judge Altobelli ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility for the children and that they live with her. Crucially, the court ordered that the children have no contact with the father. This was accompanied by a comprehensive injunction restraining the father from attending the mother's home, contacting the children or mother by any means, contacting or attending the children's school, or attending any events in which the children were participating. The mother was also restrained from leaving the children unattended in the presence of the maternal grandparents. The father was ordered to pay the costs of the Independent Children's Lawyer.