Wooley and Wooley

In the matter of *Wooley and Wooley*, heard before Cronin J, the proceedings concerned a dispute between the parties regarding their child, B. The court made several orders concerning the conduct of the proceedings, including the separate representation of the child and the application of the rules of evidence.

The legal issues before the court involved the appointment of an Independent Children’s Lawyer, the application of the rules of evidence to all testimony, and the procedure for the final hearing. The court also addressed the preparation and filing of evidence, including affidavits, and the process for obtaining a family report from a nominated family consultant.

Cronin J ordered that the child B be separately represented by an Independent Children’s Lawyer, with Victoria Legal Aid requested to arrange this. The court stipulated that the rules of evidence would apply to all evidence presented and set a timetable for the filing of amended applications, responses, affidavits of evidence, and any affidavits in reply. Furthermore, the parties were directed to attend a family report assessment, with specific factors to be considered by the family consultant, including parental capacity, responsibility, and the impact of separation on the child. The court also granted leave for parties to issue subpoenas for documents and required the filing of a case outline detailing the issues, affidavits, proposed orders, and objections to evidence. All applications were adjourned and fixed for a final hearing on 19 March 2018.