Summary

9.1 This chapter provides an overview of the child support frameworks relevant to this Inquiry: the legal framework and the agencies that administer it, and the policy framework—including the objectives that underpin the child support scheme. The chapter then outlines the relevance of family violence in the child support system, and proposes reforms to the key areas of interpretative frameworks around family violence, child support assessment, and the collection and enforcement of child support.

9.2 The reforms proposed in this chapter would facilitate appropriate management of child support cases by the Child Support Agency, where a customer is at risk of family violence. The proposed reforms complement the proposals in Chapter 4, and relate primarily to screening and referrals at certain key points in a child support case. In particular, the ALRC proposes that the Child Support Agency should screen for family violence, and consult with customers who have disclosed family violence, prior to initiating significant action against the other party.