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CORONA VIRUS AND FAMILY LAW ORDERS - Reasonable excuse for contravening an order

Should you risk being held in breach of court orders by self-isolating with your children for 14 days and insisting the other party do the same? Could that 14 days be extended on reasonable belief it was necessary ?
FAMILY LAW ACT 1975 - SECT 70NAE
                  4 (a)  the respondent believed on reasonable grounds that the actions constituting the contravention were necessary to protect the health or safety of a person (including the respondent or the child); and
                     (b)  the period during which, because of the contravention, the child did not live with the person in whose favour the order was made was not longer than was necessary to protect the health or safety of the person referred to in paragraph (a).

                  5 (a)  the respondent believed on reasonable grounds that not allowing the child and the person to spend time together was necessary to protect the health or safety of a person (including the respondent or the child); and
                     (b)  the period during which, because of the contravention, the child and the person did not spend time together was not longer than was necessary to protect the health or safety of the person referred to in paragraph (a).

Comments (1)
    • Jacob Romano Although there are no determined cases yet, it may be possible for a parent who breaches orders to show that the circumstances relating to the coronavirus amounted to a reasonable excuse to breach the orders. This however will turn on the individual circumstances of the matter and what may be a reasonable excuse in one matter may not be such in another matter.
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