Sebastian and Sebastian

This matter concerned parenting orders sought by the mother and father in relation to their two children, K and P. The court, presided over by Johnston J, was tasked with determining the arrangements for the children's parental responsibility, living arrangements, and time spent with each parent.

The primary legal issues before the court were the allocation of parental responsibility, particularly concerning the children's schooling, and the specific schedule for the children to spend time with each parent. The court also had to consider provisions for communication between the parents and the children, as well as arrangements for changeovers, education, medical treatment, and general courtesy between the parents.

The court made orders that the parents share equal parental responsibility, with the exception that the mother would have sole responsibility for decisions regarding the children's schooling, pre-school, and day care attendance. The mother was required to notify the father of proposed decisions in this area and consider his views, except for the commencement of the 2012 school year, where she had sole responsibility for enrolment but was to consider the father's views as expressed during the hearing. The children were ordered to live with the mother, and detailed provisions were made for the time the children would spend with the father, including specific arrangements for weekends, school holidays, and special occasions like Father's Day and Mother's Day. Further orders addressed communication between parents and children, including daily telephone calls and the use of a communication book, as well as provisions for education, medical information, and mutual respect between the parents.