Armager and Child Support Registrar (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered an application by Armager for an extension of time to lodge an objection against a decision of the Child Support Registrar. The Registrar had made a child support assessment based on the payee's (the respondent) income. Armager sought to object to this assessment, alleging that the payee had received money, goods, or property from him that should have been taken into account in the assessment, and that the costs of supervised contact should also be considered.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether to grant Armager an extension of time to lodge his objection. This involved assessing whether Armager had provided a sufficient explanation for the significant delay in lodging the objection and whether there were compelling reasons to depart from the usual time limits. The Tribunal also had to consider the nature of the grounds Armager wished to raise, specifically whether the alleged receipt of money, goods, or property, and the costs of supervised contact, constituted valid grounds for departure from the standard assessment principles.

Senior Member R Ellis refused the application for an extension of time. The Tribunal found that Armager had not provided a satisfactory explanation for the substantial delay in lodging his objection. While acknowledging the importance of child support assessments being accurate, the Tribunal held that the grounds Armager sought to raise, concerning money, goods, or property received by the payee and the costs of supervised contact, were not sufficient to justify granting an extension of time given the prolonged delay and the lack of a compelling explanation.