Sachar and Kalita and Anor

In *Sachar and Kalita and Anor*, heard before Judge WJ Neville, the proceedings concerned an application by the Father to suspend his telephone time with the children, amidst allegations of domestic violence. The court also addressed various procedural applications made by the Father, including requests for the matter to be transferred to the Family Court of Australia and for the appointment of a lawyer for him. An application for review of a Registrar's decision was also before the court.

The central legal issues before the court were whether the Father's telephone time with the children should be suspended, and the implications of family violence allegations on the father's ability to cross-examine other parties, particularly given his self-represented status. The court was also required to determine the disposition of several interlocutory applications filed by the parties.

The court reasoned that, in light of the family violence allegations and the application of section 102NA(1)(c)(iv) of the *Family Law Amendment (Family Violence and Cross-Examination of Parties) Act 2018* (Cth), the Father would be precluded from directly cross-examining the other parties. Consequently, all previous orders for the Father to spend time with the children were suspended, and new orders were made for supervised telephone time only, conducted from a contact centre at the Father's expense. The court also dismissed numerous applications made by the Father and the First Respondent, and set strict directions for the filing of evidence, case outlines, and the conduct of the final hearing, emphasizing the need for the Father to seek legal representation to facilitate any cross-examination.