austlii:cth/FedCFamC1F/2025/375
General information, not legal advice.
FedCFamC1F
2025-04-04
Simpson J
Original judgment source is linked above.
FEDERAL CIRCUIT AND FAMILY COURT OF AUSTRALIA (DIVISION 1)
(a) W, born 2015;
(b) X, born 2016;
(c) Y, born 2018; and
(d) Z, born 2019. ("the children")
(a) Prior to making any such major-long term decision the father shall notify the mother in writing to her nominated email address, as soon as practicable and no later than 21 days prior (if possible), to the decision;
(b) For the purposes of section 11(1)(b)(i) of the Australian Passports Act 2005 (Cth), the children are permitted to have an Australian Passport;
(c) The father is permitted to apply for an Australian Passport for the children and the mother's consent is not required;
(d) The father shall pay all costs necessary to obtain the children's passports;
(a) The father inform the mother by email of his proposal relating to the children and include in that email his views about what is needed and why and provide source information (if relevant) that he is relying on when making his proposal;
(b) Within 7 days of receiving the email from the father pursuant to subparagraph 4(a) herein, if the mother wishes to comment on the father's proposal, she advise the father by email (to the address from which the father sent his email) of her views in relation to his proposal relating to the children.
(c) Upon receipt of any email from the mother pursuant to subparagraph 4(b) herein, the father take her views into account and after doing so, he make the decision and advise the mother via email within 24 hours of making the decision.
(d) If the mother does not respond pursuant to subparagraph 4(b) herein, the father be entitled to presume that the mother does not wish to be involved, and the father may decide the issue accordingly.
AND THE COURT NOTES that in the event that supervision can be provided each week, then time shall occur weekly.
(a) The father shall forthwith contact B Family Services to undertake an intake assessment.
(b) Each party shall attend all necessary appointments (if required);
(c) Each party shall comply with any relevant policies and obligations of the supervised contact service;
(d) Each party shall comply with all reasonable requests and/or directions of staff of the supervised contact service; and
(e) The Father shall pay all fees associated with the attendance at the supervised contact service.
(a) For a period of two months from 10:00am to 4:00pm each alternate Sunday;
(b) Following the conclusion of the period in the immediately preceding Order and thereafter:
(i) During school terms from after school (or 3:00pm) on Friday to before school (or 9:00am on Monday) each alternate week commencing on the first Friday following the expiration of the period in the immediately preceding Order;
(ii) On any of the four (4) children's birthday for two (2) hours at Town D on a non-school day from 3pm to 5pm (with changeover at the Town D Post Office) and at Town C on a school day from the conclusion of school to 5pm.
(iii) During school holidays:
For one half of each of the term 1, 2 and 3 holidays, for the first half in even years and the second half in odd years;
Unless otherwise agreed in writing between the parties, the mother's time with the children in the long summer holiday period commencing December 2025 shall be extended following the weekend care pattern then in place such that she cares for the children for five nights on three occasions being Friday to Wednesday.
For the long summer holiday period commencing December 2026, on a week-about basis, commencing from the first week.
For the long summer holiday period commencing December 2027 and thereafter, for the first half in even years and the second half in odd years.
(iv) During special occasions:
- On the weekend which includes Mother's Day, from the conclusion of school (or 3:00pm) Friday to the commencement of school (or 9:00am) Monday;
- Over the Christmas period in even numbered years from 1:00 pm Christmas Eve until 5:00 pm Boxing Day.
(c) For the purposes of these orders, the school holiday periods shall be as published on the official website of each child's enrolled school and in the event the published school holiday periods for each child differ, the commencement and conclusion dates for the school holiday periods for each of the children shall be as follows:
(i) the commencement date shall be 9:00am the day immediately following the last child's required attendance at school for the term; and
(ii) the conclusion date shall be 5:00pm the day prior to the first child's required attendance at school for the term.
(iii) That in the event there is an uneven number of days during any school holiday period, the parent who has the care of the children in the first half shall have the one additional number.
(iv) Changeovers shall take place at 12pm.
(a) The mother shall provide a copy of the Child Impact Report of Ms E dated 7 February 2025 together with a copy of these Orders and the Reasons for Judgment to the therapist.
(b) The mother must provide to the Father the full name and qualifications of the psychologist within 24 hours of booking her first appointment.
(c) The costs of the treating practitioner and/or other treating practitioners attended upon shall be paid solely by the Mother.
(d) The mother must attend on the psychologist at times and on dates as requested by the psychologist (but not less than a continuous period of 6 months) and comply with all reasonable recommendations of the psychologist including with respect to actioning any referrals the psychologist may make for the mother and for this purpose the mother shall:
(i) Attend upon any other medical practitioner (including but not limited to psychologists, drug and alcohol counsellors, or general practitioners); and
(ii) Obtain prescriptions or taking any medication as prescribed by the treating practitioner or any general practitioner;
(e) That at the conclusion of six (6) months, the mother must provide a report to the father from her psychologist setting out the following matters:
(i) The dates of the mother's appointments and any future appointments;
(ii) Observations as to the mother's compliance, and any recommendations of the psychologist.
(a) On the weekend which includes Father's Day, from the conclusion of school (or 3:00pm) Friday to the commencement of school (or 9:00am) Monday.
(b) Over the Christmas period in odd numbered years from 1:00 pm Christmas Eve until 5:00 pm Boxing Day.
(a) For any periods when time is stated to occur on either "the commencement of school" or "after school" changeover shall occur at the children's school; and
(b) For all other periods, changeover shall occur at McDonalds Town C.
(a) Keep each other informed of their residential address and telephone number at all times;
(b) Keep the other parent informed of the children's health and any health issues and notify the other parent as soon as practicable in the event of an emergency involving the children;
(c) Use their best endeavours to ensure that no other person denigrates the other parent or members of the other parent's family to the children or in the presence of the children.
(a) Changeover as per these orders; and
(b) Designated school events for which parent attendance is permitted.
(a) Denigrating the other parent or members of the other parent's family to the children or in their presence or at all;
(b) Passing information or messages through the children to the other parent;
(c) Enrolling the children in extracurricular activities which would impact on them spending time with the other parent without the written consent of that parent; and
(d) Making appointments for the children on a day that the children are meant to be in the care of the other parent, without consulting the other parent and obtaining his/her prior consent.
(e) Discussing these proceedings, including the expert reports, or their living arrangements or views, with the children or in the presence or hearing of the children or allowing any other person to do so, save and except with the assistance and support of the family therapist or the children's own therapist;
(f) Showing the children any of the court documents including the family report and expert evidence, leaving documents in any location where the children may access them electronically or otherwise or allowing any other person to do so;
(g) From loitering at changeovers;
(h) From discussing issues with changeovers or concerns about changeover or the other parent in the presence or hearing of the children including at changeover itself; and
(i) From physically disciplining the children.
(a) Unless otherwise agreed in writing, such overseas travel is to take place during periods of time that the children are ordinarily to spend with the travelling parent;
(b) The travelling parent shall first provide to the non-travelling parent at least six weeks prior to any intended travel, the written details of the following:
(i) The names of all places outside of the Commonwealth of Australia where it is proposed that the children are to travel (being countries, cities and towns);
(ii) The proposed dates of travel including departure and return dates; and
(iii) The contact telephone numbers, and addresses for all the places where it is proposed that the children will be staying overnight when outside of the Commonwealth of Australia.
(c) Not less than fourteen (14) days prior to the proposed date of the children's departure from the Commonwealth of Australia, the travelling parent must provide to the non travelling parent the following further documents and information in writing:
(i) Copies of all return airline and/or shipping tickets for the children evidencing the dates of their departure from and arrival in Australia;
(ii) A copy of the relevant travel insurance policy verifying that whilst the children are travelling outside of the Commonwealth of Australia they are listed and covered on a valid travel insurance policy for the duration of the time they are overseas;
(iii) Copies of all written itineraries for the actual overseas travel; and
(iv) Details in writing confirming the contact telephone numbers upon which the children may be contacted whilst overseas and details in writing of all addresses of the places where they will be staying overnight when outside the Commonwealth of Australia.
(a) both parties shall sign all documents deeds and instruments and provide all necessary consents to facilitate all required travel visas and all other travel related documents for them within seven (7) days of receipt of same from the other parent; and
(b) if the non-travelling parent has possession of the children's passport in the period prior to a period of travel which is being proposed by the travelling parent, then he/she shall provide the original passport to the travelling parent no later than 14 days prior to the intended date of departure;
(c) if the travelling parent is the mother, she shall return the children's passport to the Father forthwith upon return to Australia.
Note: The form of the order is subject to the entry in the Court's records.
Note: This copy of the Court's Reasons for judgment may be subject to review to remedy minor typographical or grammatical errors (r 10.14(b) Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Family Law) Rules 2021 (Cth)), or to record a variation to the order pursuant to r 10.13 Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Family Law) Rules 2021 (Cth).
Part XIVB of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) makes it an offence, except in very limited circumstances, to publish an account of proceedings that identify persons, associated persons, or witnesses involved in family law proceedings.
IT IS NOTED that publication of this judgment by this Court under the pseudonym Moya & Moya has been approved pursuant to subsection 114Q(2) of the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth).
(a) W born 2015
(b) X born 2016
(c) Y born 2018 and
(d) Z born 2019.
(a) That the children will live with the father;
(b) That the father will have sole parental responsibility and shall make long-term decisions for the children following a consultative process involving the mother;
(c) That the mother will have limited, supervised day time with the children over a period of six months;
(d) During that six-month period, the mother will engage a psychologist or psychiatrist (who will have the benefit of Ms E's report), to hopefully work on aspects of her belief system relating to the father and his care of the children in addition to her responsibilities to the children; and
(e) In the future, that the mother's care of the children will progress to ultimately provide for care every second weekend, and for half of each school holiday period.
I certify that the preceding forty-four (44) numbered paragraphs are a true copy of the Ex Tempore Reasons for Judgment of the Honourable Justice Simpson.