Complete consideration of a parent’s financial circumstances may be required when ordering parentaltime that necessitates air travel.
For example, during COVID-19 lockdowns, Australian citizens were prohibited from leaving Australia unless they were given permission, and at times were even prohibited from travelling across state borders. The list of circumstances which might secure permission did not obviously identify travelling to spend time with a child who lives elsewhere. The only category which might apply is for travel on compassionate or humanitarian grounds. In these circumstances, on the assumption (which is not made) that a parent obtained permission to travel either overseas or interstate as often as the Court orders provide to enjoy the benefit of contact with their child, on return the parent must quarantine at a designated facility in the port of arrival for 14 days. The cost of quarantine would be the travelling parent’s responsibility. Thus, the travelling parent would be unable to work for an additional six weeks annually and incur substantial costs that were not originally contemplated. [...]
