SUTTON & ANDERSON

This matter concerned parenting orders for a child born in 2009, with the parties being Ms Anderson (the mother) and Mr Sutton (the father). The court was asked to determine the future parenting arrangements for the child, including issues of parental responsibility, living arrangements, and time spent with each parent.

The court was required to determine the extent of the mother's parental responsibility, specifically regarding major long-term issues concerning the child's education and health. It also needed to establish the father's time with the child, both before and after the mother's proposed relocation to Cairns, and to address communication protocols between the parents and between the child and the father. Further issues included the terms of any relocation, the use of physical force for discipline, and restrictions on parental conduct in the child's presence.

Benjamin J made orders by consent and by determination. By consent, previous parenting orders were discharged, and the mother was granted exclusive parental responsibility for major long-term issues, subject to specific consultation requirements with the father. The child was ordered to live with the mother, and both parents were restrained from using physical force for discipline and from demeaning or abusing each other in the child's presence. The mother was permitted to relocate the child's primary residence to Cairns from January 2015.

The orders detailed specific arrangements for the father's time with the child throughout 2014 and, following relocation, included provisions for communication, extended stays in Tasmania and Cairns, and holiday arrangements. The father was granted liberty to obtain school reports and communicate with the child's school, and permitted to attend school events when in Cairns. Changeover arrangements in Hobart and Cairns were also specified, along with communication protocols between the parents. The court also made orders regarding the mother's travel with the child and clarified that the mother's parental responsibility did not permit relocation outside of Tasmania or Cairns without the father's consent or a court order. All other extant applications were dismissed.