Caddell and Horton (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered the child support assessment for two children, referred to as Caddell and Horton. The dispute concerned the percentage of care attributed to each parent, which directly impacts the child support payable. The applicant sought to have the existing care percentages reviewed and altered.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the existing percentages of care accurately reflected the actual care arrangements for the children, and if not, what the correct percentages should be. This involved assessing whether any departure from the established pattern of care was significant enough to warrant a change in the assessed care percentages.

Member K Hamilton affirmed the decision under review, finding that while there had been minor departures from the established pattern of care, these were not substantial enough to alter the existing care percentages. The Tribunal applied the principles of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*, focusing on the overall pattern of care and the impact of any variations. The existing parenting orders were considered, and the evidence did not support a finding that the care arrangements had changed to a degree that would necessitate a recalculation of the child support liability based on different care percentages.