Reichert and Reichert

The case of *Reichert and Reichert* concerned parenting orders for a child born in September 2001. The dispute involved the father and mother regarding the arrangements for the child's living arrangements, time spent with each parent, and decision-making responsibilities. The matter came before Bell J.

The court was required to determine the terms of final parenting orders, including the allocation of parental responsibility for major long-term issues and day-to-day decisions, the specific living arrangements and time each parent would spend with the child, and provisions for communication, holidays, and the child's passport. The court also considered financial contributions towards expert report fees and the inclusion of contravention consequences.

Bell J ordered that the interim orders be discharged. The court established equal shared parental responsibility for major long-term issues, requiring the parents to consult with each other. For non-major long-term issues, decision-making responsibility was allocated based on which parent the child was living with or spending time with. The court then detailed an extensive schedule for the child to live with the father, including alternate weekends, mid-week time, specific holiday periods, and arrangements for birthdays and Jewish holidays. The child was to live with the mother at all other times. The orders also included provisions for the suspension of the father's time on Mother's Day and the mother's birthday, and specific arrangements for school holidays. Further orders addressed communication between the child and parents, prohibitions on denigrating the other parent, physical discipline, and notification requirements for illness, changes in contact details, and holiday travel. The court also made orders regarding the child's passport and a specific overseas trip for the father, as well as general provisions for overseas travel by either parent. Finally, the mother was ordered to pay the father a contribution towards expert report fees, and the orders incorporated details of obligations and consequences of contravention.