Parenting orders are always interlocutory in nature and can never be final and incapable of change, so the characterisation of such orders as 'final' does not prevent a party from seeking variation in appropriate circumstances. A conscious decision not to appeal, followed by a change of mind or fresh legal advice, does not provide a satisfactory explanation for delay in seeking an extension of time. An appeal against parenting orders that have been overtaken by subsequent orders lacks utility where the question of the child's arrangements is to be revisited in ongoing proceedings.
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