Saunders & Kurdowski 2015 FamCAFC 119

The mother appealed against an order for equal shared parental responsibility.  The father had not seen the child for 15 months before the trial, and did not attend the hearing (contact limited).  The judge found that both parents were headstrong, each perceived the other in very negative terms (personality concerns), both were unable to communicate about child-related matters, and both had a propensity to engage in family violence.   The mother appealed saying that the pair were unable to cooperate to the extent required in a shared parental responsibility arrangement.

The Appeal Court supported the appeal.