Child Support Agreements

Who Governs Child Support?

In Australia the Child Support Scheme was introduced in 1988 to ensure that children receive an appropriate amount of financial support from their separated parents.

The scheme is managed by the Department of Human Services (DHS) and assists parents to apply for assessment and facilitates the collection and payment of child support.

Legal Rights

Paying child support

Child support does not give you a legal or binding right to access your child. It is simply a financial obligation to care for your children’s needs as they grow. If you do not financially care for your child either privately or through the Child Support Scheme then the government can enforce payment.

Receiving child support

Child support is not spousal maintenance and is not meant to afford you the life you had prior to separation. The income received from child support is intended to cover your children’s needs for housing, food, clothing and other essentials.

If you disagree with the assessment made by the child support agency, you have the right of appeal. However, any one who is experienced in these matters will tell you that this can sometimes be a difficult and user unfriendly system to navigate. Because of the harshness of some penalties applied, I strongly recommend that you use an external agency to help you.

Please Note: You can get more information around the Family Law Process in our course Preparing for Family Court.

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