Regent and Driscoll

This matter concerned orders made by Murphy J in the Family Court of Australia regarding parental responsibility, living arrangements, and communication for a child born in August 2002. The dispute centred on the extent of the father's involvement in the child's life, particularly concerning major long-term decisions and direct contact.

The court was required to determine the appropriate allocation of parental responsibility, the child's primary residence, the nature and extent of any time the child would spend with the father, and the permissible methods of communication between the father and the child. The court also considered the role and discharge of the Independent Children's Lawyer.

Murphy J ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility for all major long-term issues concerning the child, subject to specific procedural requirements for consulting the father. The child was ordered to live with the mother and have no face-to-face time with the father. Communication between the father and child was restricted to letters, cards, and gifts sent via Australia Post, with no other form of communication permitted. The Independent Children's Lawyer was to be discharged upon compliance with certain orders or by a specified date.