Toomey and Kellett

In the Federal Circuit Court, Judge Burchardt considered an application concerning the welfare of a child, X, born in 2011. The proceedings involved the child's parents, the father and the mother, who were seeking orders regarding the child's living arrangements and contact with the father.

The court was required to determine the appropriate contact arrangements between the father and the child, the extent of the father's telephone contact, and the necessity for independent legal representation for the child. Furthermore, the court needed to address the parents' engagement with a specific program aimed at resolving family issues and ensure their compliance with its recommendations.

Judge Burchardt ordered that the father would have supervised contact with the child for four hours each Saturday morning, commencing on 21 January 2017, and that the father's telephone contact with the child would cease until further order. Crucially, the court ordered that the child's interests be independently represented by a lawyer pursuant to s.68L(2) of the *Family Law Act 1975*, requesting Victoria Legal Aid to arrange this representation. The court also mandated that both parents engage in and complete a program at CatholicCare, following its recommendations, with any failure to comply to be reported to the court under s.13D of the *Family Law Act 1975*. The matter was adjourned for mention.