Waller and Waller

In the matter of *Waller and Waller*, heard before Watts J, the dispute concerned parenting arrangements for a child, B, born in 2002. The court was tasked with determining the future parental responsibility, living arrangements, and contact arrangements between the child and each parent.

The central legal issues before the court were: (a) whether to discharge existing parenting orders; (b) to whom sole parental responsibility for the child should be granted; (c) with whom the child should live; (d) whether the child should spend any time with the father; and (e) the nature and extent of any communication permitted between the child and the father. The court also considered the provision of information to the father regarding the child's progress and the sharing of relevant reports with a family consultant.

Watts J discharged all previous parenting orders. The court ordered that the mother have sole parental responsibility for the child, that the child live with the mother, and that the child spend no time with the father. Furthermore, the court stipulated that the child would have no communication with the father other than communication initiated by the child. The mother was directed to provide the father with an annual email update on the child’s educational, extra-curricular, and health progress, along with information about significant life events. The mother was also ordered to provide Dr C, a family consultant, with all previous family consultant reports and a copy of the judgment to assist in future therapy with the child.