Blakley and Wigsall (Child support)

The case of *Blakley and Wigsall* concerned a dispute regarding the administrative assessment of child support. The applicant, Blakley, sought to have the estimated income of the respondent, Wigsall, reduced for the purposes of the child support assessment. The matter came before the court for review of a decision made by the Registrar.

The central legal issue before the court was whether the Registrar had correctly refused to estimate Wigsall's income at a lower amount than that which was likely to be the actual income. Specifically, the court had to determine if the evidence presented supported a reduction in the estimated income for the child support assessment.

The court affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the estimate of Wigsall's income was correctly refused. The reasoning applied was that the evidence did not establish that the estimated income was less than the amount likely to be the actual income. The court applied the principles governing the estimation of income for child support purposes, requiring sufficient evidence to justify a departure from the likely actual income. The decision under review was therefore affirmed.