Re: Marco

In the matter of *Re: Marco*, heard before Watts J of the Family Court of Australia, the applicants sought to dispense with a procedural requirement concerning the service of their Initiating Application. The dispute centred on the application of Rule 4.10 of the *Family Law Rules 2004* (Cth), which mandates service on the prescribed child welfare authority.

The primary legal issue before the court was whether the applicants had established sufficient grounds to justify dispensing with the requirement of serving the Initiating Application on the prescribed child welfare authority. This involved an assessment of the specific circumstances of the case and whether compliance with the rule was impracticable or otherwise inappropriate.

Watts J considered the nature of the proceedings and the information contained within the Initiating Application. The court determined that the requirement of Rule 4.10 could be dispensed with, and consequently, the applicants’ Initiating Application was dismissed. The court also made extensive orders for the anonymisation of the judgment and reasons, and for the restriction of access to the court file, to protect the identity of the child, Marco, and his family.