Rosington and Rosington (No 3)

In *Rosington and Rosington (No 3)*, Stevenson J of the Family Court of Australia considered an application by the Independent Children's Lawyer (ICL) for costs. The ICL sought an order that the mother and father each pay half of their costs of the proceedings in equal shares. The father consented to paying one half of the ICL's costs, but the mother contended that the father should bear her share of these costs.

The central legal issue before the court was the appropriate allocation of the Independent Children's Lawyer's costs between the parents, specifically whether the father should be solely responsible for the mother's portion of these costs.

Stevenson J determined that the father should not bear responsibility for the whole of the costs of the Independent Children's Lawyer. The court reasoned that an equal division of the ICL's costs between the parties was not warranted in the circumstances. Consequently, the court ordered that the mother pay a sum of $12,093.50 to Legal Aid New South Wales on account of the costs of the Independent Children's Lawyer within 60 days. The father's application and the mother's response were dismissed.