Chen and Aquino (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal considered the dispute between Chen and Aquino concerning the percentage of care for a child. The decision under review related to an assessment of child support, specifically whether there had been a change to the likely pattern of care, with the child living partly away from home.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the Registrar's decision to maintain the existing percentage of care was correct. This involved assessing whether the circumstances of the child living partly away from the primary residence constituted a change in the likely pattern of care that would warrant an adjustment to the child support assessment.

The Tribunal affirmed the Registrar's decision, finding that the evidence did not establish a sufficient change in the likely pattern of care. The principles applied focused on the interpretation of "change to the likely pattern of care" within the context of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*. The Tribunal concluded that the arrangements for the child living partly away from home did not meet the threshold for a change that would alter the established percentage of care.