Townsend and Townsend

In the matter of *Townsend and Townsend*, heard by Judge McGuire, the dispute concerned parenting arrangements and the division of property between the parties. The orders reflect a resolution reached by the parties, with the court making specific directions regarding the children and the distribution of their assets and liabilities.

The court was required to determine the terms of sole parental responsibility for the children, including provisions for medical and educational information access for the husband. Further, the court needed to establish a framework for the re-establishment of a direct contact relationship between the children and the husband, involving counselling. On the property front, the court was tasked with dividing the parties' net property pool, including real estate, motor vehicles, bank accounts, and superannuation, and allocating responsibility for various liabilities.

The court ordered that the wife have sole parental responsibility for the children, X and Y, with specific provisions for the husband to be kept advised of their medical and educational matters and to have access to practitioners and schools. The orders also mandated counselling for the purpose of re-establishing the children's contact with the husband, with the husband to bear the initial costs. The net property of the parties was to be divided equally, 50% to each. The wife was to transfer specified properties and assets to the husband, while the husband was to pay a lump sum to the wife. Each party was to be solely responsible for certain liabilities, and the orders were intended to finally determine the financial relationship between them.