Artfull and Rochester (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered an appeal by Artfull against a decision of the Registrar of the Child Support Agency concerning the estimated income of Rochester for the purposes of a child support assessment. Artfull sought to have Rochester's estimated income reduced, arguing that the amount estimated by the Registrar was higher than Rochester's likely actual income.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the Registrar had correctly refused to reduce the estimated income of Rochester. Specifically, the Tribunal had to determine if the estimated income figure used by the Registrar was less than the amount likely to be Rochester's actual income for the relevant period, as contemplated by the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*.

The Tribunal affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the estimated income was not demonstrably less than Rochester's likely actual income. The Tribunal applied the principles governing the estimation of income under the Act, which require the Registrar to make a reasonable estimate based on available information. In this instance, the Tribunal was satisfied that the Registrar's estimate was reasonable and that Artfull had not provided sufficient evidence to demonstrate that the estimate was too high or that Rochester's actual income would be lower.