SECRETARY, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITIES AND JUSTICE & WALPOLE

In the matter of *Secretary, Department of Communities and Justice & Walpole*, Ainslie-Wallace J of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia considered an application concerning the return of two children, X and Y, to New Zealand. The dispute involved the Secretary of the Department of Communities and Justice, acting as the Central Authority, and the respondent mother, Ms Walpole.

The court was required to determine whether the children, X and Y, should be returned to New Zealand. This involved considering the relevant provisions of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth) and the *Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction*. The court also had to make orders regarding the arrangements for the children's return, including the payment of travel expenses.

Ainslie-Wallace J ordered that the Central Authority and Ms Walpole make the necessary arrangements for the return of the children X and Y to New Zealand by 30 December 2019. The father was ordered to pay the cost of the children's airfares, while Ms Walpole was to bear the cost of her own return travel. Furthermore, the Australian Federal Police were directed to remove the names of Ms Walpole and the children from the Family Law Watchlist at all Australian international points of arrival and departure, and the Central Authority was to provide a sealed copy of these orders to the Australian Federal Police.