WILSON & WILSON

This matter concerned an application before Johns J in the Family Court of Australia, involving the parents of a child, B, born in 2001. The dispute centred on the arrangements for the child's care and parental responsibility.

The court was required to determine the appropriate orders regarding parental responsibility, the child's residence, and the extent of contact between the child and each parent. Further issues included the child's ongoing medical treatment, the exchange of information between parents and treating professionals, and the removal of the child from Australia.

Johns J ordered the discharge of all previous orders relating to the child. The father was granted sole parental responsibility, and the child was to live with the father, with no time to be spent with the mother. The father was directed to ensure the child continued to attend the Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and to abide by the directions of the child's mental health professionals. Both parents were restrained from removing the child from Australia, and the mother was specifically restrained from removing the child from the father's care. The court also made detailed provisions for the exchange of information between the parents and the child's treating practitioners and schools, and for the exchange of case management information. The appointment of the Independent Children's Lawyer was discharged, and all extant applications were dismissed. The orders included particulars of obligations and consequences of contravention, as set out in an attached Fact Sheet.