VELDERMAN & VELDERMAN

The parties in this matter were the Father and the Mother, who brought a contravention application before Judge Morley concerning alleged breaches of parenting orders. The Father alleged multiple contraventions by the Mother, who in turn denied the contraventions and raised the defence of reasonable excuse.

The court was required to determine whether the Mother had contravened the parenting orders as alleged by the Father, and if so, whether she had a reasonable excuse for any such contraventions. Additionally, the court considered applications for costs and for variation of the interim parenting orders.

The decision indicates that the court did not make final determinations on the contravention allegations or the variation applications at the hearing. Instead, the court adjourned the matter for further submissions on appropriate orders and potential penalties, and to allow for the Independent Children’s Lawyer to make submissions on the variation applications. The Father's application for costs related to an interim hearing was dismissed.