In July 2008, the media published banner headlines generated from media releases issued by the Australian Government's Minister for Human Services, Senator Joe Ludwig which includes:
Spies on dads dodging child support - Herald Sun, 23 June 2008,
"Human
Services Minister Joe Ludwig announced today that undercover
surveillance of parents would commence from July 1, in a bid to collect
almost $1 billion in child support debt across Australia. I want child
support cheats to be caught out on camera so the courts can see the
truth,"
Deadbeat dads fleeing to debt-free haven - The Australian, 30 July 2008,
"Separated parents living overseas now owe around $90 million in
payments to their kids back in Australia," Senator Ludwig said.
Chasing down deadbeat dads - Herald Sun, 1 August 2008,
Senator Ludwig also said
“More than 20,000 separated parents are denying their children support
by fleeing the country.
These mostly deadbeat dads owe a startling $90 million in child support and are guilty of a double betrayal.
Deadbeat dads don't need a visa to enter New Zealand and governments need to work together to identify and track down runaway parents.”
The one billion dollar debt level is a cumulative total incurred from the commencement of the child Support scheme in 1988/89. Over $500 million debt had accumulated by 1996/97. The Child Support Agency ( CSA ) has already been criticised by the Auditor General for using cumulative totals in their efforts to justify their performance.
Yet the CSA continues to do so, as well as ignoring false debts created using unsustainable or unrealistic income determinations. Neither can the accuracy of assessments be thoroughly checked when address details for 15% of clients cannot be confirmed. If the information were available it would be interesting to know how much of this debt is uncollectable because the payer is unemployed, disabled or deceased or the child’s circumstances have changed, but remain unacknowledged by CSA?
According to published CSA data, 96 per cent of all child support due has been paid.
National Times
January 11, 2011
Seems a bit rich these days to claim there is a ‘‘glass ceiling’’ for female jobs. Load of cobblers, isn't it? I mean, Australia has a female Prime Minister and a female Governor-General.
Has there really been discrimination over the years against mothers who work -- or against women without children?
The National Council of Women thinks so and no surprise there. I recently chatted with Victorian leader Jennie Rawther who pointed out that, among other things, women at the end of World War 1 had to give up their jobs to returning servicemen -- even though their husbands may have been killed in combat. There was no widow’s pension, nor child support.
Sounds tough but Age reader Steve Hills of Rosebud is not impressed. “There is overwhelming evidence that female health, safety and female lives were held as more valuable than men’s lives,” he says. “Men’s lives were routinely regarded as disposable. The view that women alone were discriminated against is an ignorant one.”
Australian Institute of Criminology statistics show there were 270 child homicide incidents in Australia from July 1989 to June 1999, involving 287 identified offenders and resulting in the deaths of 316 children under 15.
For example, the revised National Homicide Monitoring Program 2006-07 Annual Report states 11 homicides involved a biological mother and 5 involves a biological father.
The Western Australian figures shed light on who is likely to abuse children in families. Mothers are identified as the perpetrator of neglect and abuse in a total of 73% of verified cases.
Biological mothers account for about 35 per cent of all child murders, while biological fathers account for 29 per cent
Australia has the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of child support systems. The relevant legislation which applies to child support issues is the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989.
There are many options available to parents regarding the administration of child support. These include:-
If you would like to enter into a Child Support Agreement it is best to seek specialist family lawyer advice to ensure you understand the consequences of entering into an Agreement and your obligations created by the Agreement.
There are 8 steps to calculating the basic child support formula:
Note: This is only a guide. If you have different care arrangements for various children, you might have different Child Support percentages for each child.
Child Support care percentage | Equal to number of nights a year | Equal to number of nights a fortnight | Care level | Child Support cost percentage |
---|---|---|---|---|
0–13% | 0–51 nights | 1 night | Below regular care | Nil |
14–34% | 52–127 nights | 2–4 nights | Regular care | 24% |
35–47% | 128–175 nights | 5–6 nights | Shared care | 25% plus 2% for every percentage point over 35% of care |
48–52% | 176–189 nights | 7 nights | Shared care | 50% |
53–65% | 190–237 nights | 8–9 nights | Shared care | 51% plus 2% for every percentage point over 53% of care |
66–86% | 238–313 nights | 10–12 nights | Primary care | 76% |
87–100% | 314–365 nights | 13–14 nights | Above primary care | 100% |
Examples of events which may change a Child Support Assessment include:-
Change of Assessment Process