SINHA & SINHA

This matter concerned parenting orders sought by the Mother and Father in relation to their three children, Y, M, and J. The dispute involved the living arrangements for the children, the allocation of parental responsibility for long-term decisions, and the specific arrangements for the children to spend time with their Father. The court was required to determine the terms of these orders, balancing the children's best interests with the parents' respective roles and responsibilities.

The court was tasked with determining the primary residence of the children, the extent of the Father's parental responsibility for long-term decisions, and the detailed schedule for the children to spend time with their Father. This included establishing a phased re-establishment of time, outlining arrangements for school holidays, birthdays, and specific communication protocols. Furthermore, the court needed to address issues concerning changeovers, denigration of parents, medical information sharing, schooling participation, overseas travel, and specific restrictions on the Father's unsupervised time with the children and their paternal grandparents, as well as his alcohol consumption.

Kent J made orders that the children live with the Mother and that she have sole parental responsibility for all long-term decisions concerning them. The court then detailed a progressive plan for the children to spend time with their Father, commencing with supervised contact and gradually increasing to unsupervised overnight stays. Specific provisions were made for school holidays, birthdays, and communication between parents and children. The orders also included injunctions restraining the Father from leaving the children unsupervised with paternal grandparents between certain hours, from allowing the children to sleep in the paternal grandparents' bedroom, and from having unsupervised time with the paternal grandfather. The Father was also prohibited from consuming alcohol in the presence of the children or when they were in his care, and was ordered to complete a "Parents not Partners" course. Provisions were also made for passport management, dispute resolution, and the consequences of contravening the orders.