ROBARDS & MILLER

The case of Robards & Miller concerned parenting orders for a child born in 2005. The dispute involved the mother's proposed relocation of the child's residence to Town Z, Queensland, and the father's time with the child. The matter was heard by Rees J.

The court was required to determine whether to permit the mother to relocate the child to Queensland, and if so, what arrangements for equal shared parental responsibility, the child's living arrangements, and the father's time with the child would be in the child's best interests. Key issues included the practicalities of travel between Queensland and Canberra, communication between the parents, and the facilitation of the child's ongoing relationship with both parents.

Rees J ordered that previous parenting orders be discharged and that the parents have equal shared parental responsibility. The child was to live with the mother, who was permitted to relocate the child to Town Z, Queensland, conditional upon the maternal grandfather providing an undertaking to fund up to sixteen one-way flights per year between Town Z and Canberra. The orders detailed specific arrangements for the child to spend time with the father, including weekend and holiday periods, with provisions for travel costs and notification. The court also made orders regarding communication, the exchange of information about the child's welfare, and the parents' conduct towards each other.