Eakins and Berker (Child support)

This matter concerned an appeal by Eakins against an administrative assessment of child support made by the Registrar of Child Support. The dispute centred on the Registrar's decision to proceed with an estimate reconciliation of the parties' incomes, which Eakins contended was not performed correctly. The appeal was heard by Member S Letch of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal.

The primary legal issue before the Tribunal was whether the Registrar had correctly conducted the estimate reconciliation of the parties' incomes in accordance with the relevant provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*. Specifically, the Tribunal was required to determine if the Registrar had properly considered and reconciled the estimated incomes of both parties when making the administrative assessment.

Member Letch found that the Registrar had failed to properly reconcile the estimates of income provided by both parties. The Tribunal reasoned that a proper reconciliation requires a thorough examination and comparison of the estimated incomes to ensure fairness and accuracy in the child support assessment. Without this, the assessment could not be considered valid. Consequently, the Tribunal set aside the Registrar's decision and remitted the matter back to the Registrar with a direction to undertake a correct reconciliation of the parties' estimated incomes.