Spiteri and Walker (No 3)

In the matter of *Spiteri and Walker (No 3)*, Gill J of the Federal Circuit Court of Australia considered two applications for contravention filed by the mother against the father, as well as a separate application for contravention filed by the father against the mother. The core of the dispute involved allegations of breaches of parenting orders.

The court was required to determine whether the father had contravened specific parenting orders as alleged in the mother's applications, and conversely, whether the mother had contravened parenting orders as alleged in the father's application. The court also had to consider the appropriate orders to make in light of its findings, including any orders for costs and the attendance of a party at a parenting program.

Gill J dismissed the majority of the counts in both of the mother's applications for contravention. Similarly, several counts in the father's application were also dismissed. However, in relation to the father's application, the court ordered that the father attend a post-separation parenting program, requiring him to arrange and commence the intake process promptly and complete the program. The court further ordered that the mother pay the father's costs on a party/party basis for the dismissed counts in her applications, with the amount to be agreed or assessed and paid within specified timeframes.