Gallegos and Felipe (Child support)

The Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) considered an application by the father, Mr Gallegos, for the collection of child support arrears from the mother, Ms Felipe. The dispute concerned the calculation of the unpaid child support amount and whether the application for collection should have been accepted by the Registrar.

The Tribunal was required to determine whether the Registrar had erred in refusing to accept the father's application for the collection of child support arrears. Specifically, the AAT needed to assess the correct calculation of the arrears and whether the Registrar had properly applied the relevant provisions of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988* (Cth) in rejecting the application.

The Tribunal found that the Registrar had made an error in calculating the arrears and in refusing to accept the father's application for collection. The AAT applied the principles of the *Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988*, particularly concerning the calculation and recovery of unpaid child support. The Tribunal concluded that the father's application was valid and that the arrears had been incorrectly assessed.

The decision under review was set aside and substituted. The AAT ordered that the father's application for the collection of child support arrears be accepted and that the amount of unpaid child support be recalculated in accordance with the Tribunal's findings.