Alborough and Manville (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by the applicant, Alborough, against a decision of the Registrar of the Child Support Agency regarding an administrative assessment of child support payable to the respondent, Manville. The dispute centred on the Registrar's decision to accept an estimate of the applicant's income for the purposes of the child support assessment.

The primary legal issue before the Court was whether the Registrar had erred in accepting the estimate of the applicant's income, thereby refusing to refuse the estimate. This required the Court to consider the criteria under the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* (Cth) for the acceptance or refusal of an estimated income.

The Court affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the Registrar had properly exercised their discretion. The Court reasoned that the Registrar was entitled to accept the estimate of the applicant's income as there was insufficient information provided by the applicant to determine their actual income. The principles applied focused on the Registrar's obligation to make an assessment based on the available information, and the applicant's onus to provide sufficient evidence to challenge an estimate.

The Court therefore affirmed the decision of the Registrar and dismissed the appeal.