Sargent and Selwyn

This matter concerned parenting orders for the child X, born in 2012, between the Applicant Father and the Respondent Mother. The court was required to determine the specific arrangements for the child's living arrangements, time spent with each parent, and holiday arrangements, as well as ancillary matters concerning the child's education and travel.

The court was tasked with establishing a comprehensive parenting plan that would evolve as the child grew, from infancy through to commencing school and beyond. Key issues included the division of parental responsibility, the child's primary residence, and the detailed allocation of time between the parents across different periods, including weekdays, weekends, and school holidays. The court also needed to address practical considerations such as changeover arrangements, medical care, and the process for obtaining a passport and undertaking overseas travel.

The court, by consent of the parties, discharged all earlier parenting orders and made new orders that provided for equal shared parental responsibility. The child X was ordered to live with the Mother, with detailed provisions for the Father's time with the child, which progressively increased from the date of the orders until the child commenced school, and thereafter during school terms and holidays. The orders also included specific arrangements for public holidays, birthdays, Father's Day, and Mother's Day, as well as injunctions regarding the recording of changeovers and prohibitions on physical chastisement. Further orders addressed the enrolment in specific schools, the process for selecting primary and secondary schools, and the arrangements for obtaining and holding the child's passport, including provisions for overseas travel.