Rio and McGrath

In the matter of Rio and McGrath, heard by Judge Scarlett, the dispute concerned parenting arrangements for the two children of the marriage, [X] and [Y]. The court was required to determine the primary caregiver for the children, the extent of the father's involvement in their education and medical care, and the nature of the children's time with the father. Additionally, the court needed to address communication protocols between the parents and establish orders regarding their conduct towards each other in the children's presence.

The court ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility for the children and that they live with her. The father was granted specific rights to be informed about the children's schooling, including being given advance notice of any proposed school changes and having access to school reports. Similarly, the mother was directed to provide the father with details of the children's treating medical practitioners and to authorise the release of medical information to him. The orders also stipulated that the children should spend time with the father according to their wishes, and the mother was to facilitate these arrangements.

Further orders included provisions for communication between the parents, requiring them to exchange contact details and for the mother to make the father's contact information available to the children. Both parents were restrained by injunction from speaking negatively about the other parent in the children's presence or discussing the court proceedings with them. The court also ordered the children to attend upon an Independent Children's Lawyer to have the orders explained to them, after which the lawyer would be discharged. The costs of the Independent Children's Lawyer were to be paid equally by both parents from a specified trust account.