SEARES & SEARES

The case of *Seares & Seares* concerned parenting and property settlement disputes between the parents of two children, X and Y. The mother sought orders for the children to live with her and have limited supervised contact with the father, while the father sought an equal shared care arrangement. In relation to property, the wife sought a specific division of funds and superannuation, whereas the husband sought an equal split of the net property pool.

The court was required to determine the parenting arrangements for the children, specifically whether they should live with the mother and the nature and extent of the father's time with them, considering allegations of family violence perpetrated by the father against the mother and exposure of the children to this violence. Additionally, the court had to decide on the just and equitable distribution of the parties' property, assessing their respective contributions and other relevant factors.

Forrest J ordered that the children, X and Y, shall live with the mother. The father was to have supervised time with the children at a contact centre, with a phased introduction of gradually increasing unsupervised time, contingent on his completion of specified courses and compliance with the orders. The court also made orders regarding parental responsibility, communication, and the father's attendance at programs addressing domestic and family violence. In the property settlement, the court found the wife's contributions to be 67.5% and the husband's to be 32.5%, with a further adjustment of 10% in the wife's favour, reflecting a just and equitable outcome.