Sheehan and Reece& Anor

This matter concerned an application before Judge Scarlett in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia concerning the living arrangements and time spent with a child, X, born in 2005. The application sought to discharge existing consent orders made in the Local Court of New South Wales and to establish new arrangements for the child. The parties involved were the child's mother (the Applicant Mother) and the child's maternal grandmother (the First Respondent Maternal Grandmother).

The court was required to determine the primary residence of the child and the specific arrangements for the child to spend time with both the mother and the maternal grandmother. Additionally, the court needed to consider orders relating to the child's welfare, including provisions for counselling, information sharing with medical professionals and the school, and prohibitions against denigration of either party in the child's presence. The court also had to address the method of handover between the parties and the requirement for the mother and grandmother to attend a Child Dispute Conference.

In reaching its decision, the court discharged the previous consent orders and made new orders for the child to live with the maternal grandmother. The court then detailed extensive provisions for the child to spend time with the mother, encompassing alternate weekends during school terms, specific periods during school holidays, and on significant days such as Mother's Day and the child's birthday. Further orders included a provision for limited time with the grandmother on days the child is with the mother, prohibitions against denigration, the use of a specific contact changeover service, and requirements for the child to attend counselling. The court also authorised the mother to obtain school reports and medical information directly and mandated attendance at a reportable Child Dispute Conference.