Airport watch list orders and Federal Police alerts

A parent (or other person connected to a child) may sometimes make a unilateral decision to relocate themselves and a child without the consent of the other parent/s or without making their destination known. In these circumstances, especially where there is a serious risk of harm to the child, urgent orders may be sought. This may include a location and recovery order (see below), an injunction preventing the person from changing the child’s primary residence or causing the child to travel interstate or more than a specified distance from their primary residence or other named location (eg, often within 30kms or some other distance of the other parent where there are orders for the child to spend substantial and significant time with that parent).

If it is feared that the child may be taken from Australia, then an urgent application should be made that the child's name be included on the airport watch list and in Federal Police alerts. The Family Court of Australia has an afterhours service which hears emergency applications and grants orders in urgent circumstances. Urgent orders will only be made where the court is satisfied that there is an immediate risk or a need for immediate action. The Family Court's emergency service can be contacted on: 1300 352 000.

See Airport watch list and Federal Police alerts.