Valant & Calaway (No 2)

In the matter of *Valant & Calaway (No 2)*, heard by Young J, the applicant, Mr Valant, filed a Notice of Discontinuance on 12 May 2021. The respondent was Ms Calaway. The court also noted that the Independent Children’s Lawyer was to seek confirmation from the Department of Child Protection SA regarding awareness of overarching child protection issues and specific issues concerning the father in Victoria.

The primary legal issue before the court was the future conduct of the proceedings in light of the Notice of Discontinuance and the ongoing child protection concerns. The court was required to determine how to proceed with the matter, considering the statutory prohibition on publishing identifying details of family law proceedings under section 121 of the *Family Law Act 1975* (Cth).

Young J ordered that the matter be listed for an undefended hearing on 20 September 2021 at 2.15pm. This direction indicates the court's intention to continue with the proceedings despite the discontinuance, likely to address the child protection matters and finalise the case in an undefended capacity. The court's order implicitly acknowledges the need to manage the proceedings while adhering to the confidentiality provisions of the *Family Law Act*.