State Central Authority & Handbury

The case of *State Central Authority & Handbury* concerned an application before Bennett J in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia. The dispute involved international child protection matters, with the court considering the appropriate orders to be made concerning the welfare of a child.

The central legal issue before the court was the determination of subsidiary matters relating to the child's welfare, particularly concerning travel arrangements and the finalisation of orders, following an earlier hearing. The court was required to decide how to best facilitate agreement between the parties on these details or, failing agreement, how to resolve them.

Bennett J indicated that direct judicial communication could occur in accordance with emerging guidance on international judicial communications, including safeguards for such communications within the context of the International Hague Network of Judges. The judge proposed to provide a draft order and invited the parties, specifically the father, to provide details of flights and other matters they could agree upon. If agreement could not be reached, the parties were to submit minutes of their proposed orders within 24 hours for the court to determine. The possibility of a further VLA Hague mediation was also raised as a potential avenue for resolution. The court ultimately made orders as set out at the commencement of its reasons.