SIDDELL & SIDDELL

This case concerned interim parenting arrangements for four children aged between 14 and 9. The mother alleged a history of serious family violence by the father, which the father denied. The father had been spending time with the children under supervision, and sought a relaxation of these conditions, while the mother sought their continuation. The father was also contesting a family violence order, though no police charges had yet been laid against him.

The court was required to determine the best interests of the children in light of the contested allegations of family violence and the existing supervised contact arrangements. The central legal issues involved the application of the section 60CC factors of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth) to establish appropriate interim orders for parental responsibility, living arrangements, and the father's time with the children, considering the mother's safety concerns and the father's desire for increased contact.

Judge Brown ordered the discharge of all previous parenting orders and established equal shared parental responsibility. The children were to live with the mother, and the father was granted specific, supervised time with them, including alternate weekends and Christmas Day. Handovers were to occur on the footpath outside the parents' former residence, with the mother permitted to have a support person present. The father was also authorised to communicate with the children via electronic means on specified days. The court mandated attendance at a family consultant assessment, parenting programs, and the use of a specific communication app for all parenting matters, with strict injunctions against denigrating the other parent or discussing proceedings in the children's presence.